How Long Will I Love You?
by laurapreponfan
Summary: Taylor and Laura first met because of their Netflix series, Orange Is The New Black. They eventually become friends. But what happens when they find themselves feeling some things that are very new to them, some thing so much more, and something that scares them? Will they choose to ignore it? Or will they find it worth fighting for?
1. Chapter 1 - Party Animals

**CHAPTER 1 - PARTY ANIMALS**

**A/N:**

**This story is a story of fiction. I wanted to follow the correct timeline that Orange Is The New Black follows but since I'm not very familiar with it, I decided to create my own timeline instead. Having my own timeline also helped me put plotlines that I wouldn't have been able to if I didn't. I hope that's okay with you, guys/gals.**

**Also, please don't be confused as I won't be putting any dates here. Just try using your imagination. But just for your information, though, the first chapter took place on September 19th, Friday.**

**Another thing, English is not my first language so please forgive any grammatical errors (and also some trivial errors or any other errors) you'd find as you read.**

**Hope you enjoy this! Reviews would be very much appreciated.**

-o-o-o-

The whole cast of Orange Is The New Black (OITNB) had just finished filming the third season of the hugely successful show and the female cast decided to celebrate it through a private party at The Rooftop Bar in New York. After months and months of working, everyone knew they would go their separate lives for a while and do their own thing so they figured it best to have one last party together before they'd be back in each other's arms again for promotional purposes for OITNB.

Laura Prepon, who was smoking at one corner at that time, couldn't help but smile at the sight of all of her friends, friends she never thought she'd have because she was used to hanging out with a bunch of guys. Everyone was having a great time dancing, laughing, and some even singing. Leading that was Natasha Lyonne who was, unsurprisingly, her usual playful self. She was dragging everyone to the dance floor, and started dancing around them whenever she would successfully get someone to get up.

When almost everyone was dancing like crazy, she then proceeded to ask Taylor Schilling to go to the dance floor with her. She was sitting alone at a table, not bothering to talk to anyone. Laura didn't fail to notice that Taylor was having one of those moments where she preferred being left alone. She read a "You okay there, Chapman?" from Natasha's lips, and Taylor did her best to smile, gesturing Natasha to just go and have fun. Everyone knew, especially Natasha, not to push Taylor when she was having that kind of day so she left her alone. It was then that Natasha started looking around, and stopped when she found where Laura was. "Hey Prepon, get your ass in here!"

"I'll be right there, I'll just finish this one up," answered Laura as she held her cigarette up.

She then saw Natasha go up to Uzo Aduba, who was talking to Kate Mulgrew and Yael Stone at another table, and whispered something to her. Uzo then looked at where Taylor was sitting, got up, and went near her. Uzo was one of the only few people who could get to Taylor during those moods and Laura knew that was the reason Natasha went to her. But then after seeing Uzo go back to her and Kate's table, unsuccessfully cheering Taylor up, she knew then that her blonde friend was really not okay. So she finally decided to go near her.

"Hey," Laura said as she sat across Taylor, bringing with her two shots of vodka. She gave her the other one and took the other one for herself.

"Hi, thanks" answered Taylor with a smile, a genuine one, unlike the half-hearted smile she gave Natasha and Uzo. She then took the vodka straight up.

"Having one of those days, huh?" Laura looked at her intently, despite the semi-darkness. Taylor seemed surprised by her question. "Yeah, I, uh, saw, you know." She somewhat pointed at Natasha and Uzo. "Kind of... noticed."

Taylor sighed and almost rolled her eyes, who looked annoyed, more at herself than anyone else. "Yeah, am I that obvious?"

"Girl, you basically shooed Tasha away," Laura chuckled.

Taylor then put her hands all over her face. "I'm sorry, was I being mean? I'm just really... tired maybe. I don't know. Ugh. Sorry. It's really annoying, actually. Of all the time there is in this world, my freaking mood picked this night," she said while shaking her head.

"Come on, we all have our days. I'm sure Tasha understands. And you really can't blame yourself there, babe. Those mood swings are, ugh." Laura gave her a reassuring smile, letting her know that it really was okay. Knowing Taylor, she would beat herself up for this again. She didn't need any more of that.

"Yeah, maybe she does. I hope so. I'm just gonna go apologize to her later." Taylor paused for a while and looked down before looking back at Laura. "Thank God you're here. I would go crazy otherwise."

Laura squeezed Taylor's hands which were locked together on the table. "Well, I'm always here whenever you need me, girl. What are friends for, you know."

Taylor then smiled and realized that she actually felt better already. "Thanks, honey."

"Now, what are we waiting for? Let's go dance!" Laura stood up, still holding Taylor's hand and urged her to stand.

"No, no, no," Taylor laughed as she kept shaking her head. "You go, I'm just gonna stay here. I'm only gonna ruin everyone's mood right there."

"Na-uh. You're not staying. Come on, girl. This may be the last time we'll all be seeing each other in a long time. Let's go party!" Laura put her hands up and swayed her hips a little causing her to laugh at herself. Taylor was laughing, too, and then she suddenly stood up. "That's my girl!"

-o-o-o-

It wasn't hard for Laura to get Taylor back to her good mood and soon enough both of them were swaying to the music and laughing at each other's silliness. At one point, they even danced to Milkshake and did the choreographed dance they did during an episode of their show. A few hours and drinks later, both were already drunk, especially Taylor.

"Girl, I'm tired," Laura told Taylor. She was laughing so hard at her because she had never seen her this drunk. "Let's go sit for a while, okay?"

"I don't wanna... let's keep dancing!" Taylor said, almost slurring her words. She held on to Laura's arm to keep her from walking away.

"Wow, I thought you were tired?" who fixed Taylor's hair. It was a mess, probably from all the head banging she'd been doing.

"What?" Taylor almost yelled on Laura's ear. "It's too loud in here, I can't hear you."

"I can see that. I'm almost deaf with all those yells you're doing to my ear," Laura shook her head, laughing. Silly Taylor was so fun to watch it was enough entertainment for her for the night. She then decided to stay on the dance floor even though she was feeling a bit worn out from all the dancing. Besides, she was having so much fun with Taylor she didn't want to miss even just a second of it.

-o-o-o-

A few minutes later, everyone else left at the bar started coming up to them.

"Hey, everyone's here!" Taylor said excitedly. She was squealing like a little child making Laura laugh even more. "Come on guys, let's dance!"

"Yo, Prepon! What'd you do to Chapman, huh?" asked Tasha who was also laughing at Taylor. She loved calling her with her OITNB character's last name because according to her, it had a nice ring to it.

"I did nothing, girl. That's all her." Laura looked back at Taylor who was already dancing with Laverne Cox.

"Wow, some magic you must have there with you. She was in a not-so-good mood a while ago it was scary."

"I don't know," Laura shrugged. "Anyways, are you all leaving?"

"Yep," answered Samira Wiley. "We were gonna invite you both to go home, too, but it seems like you two are still having some fun."

"Yeah, Tay doesn't wanna go yet. I'll just accompany her for a while. Maybe I can convince her to go home after you all leave," Laura laughed.

Everyone then started saying their goodbyes to both Laura and Taylor, to the latter's protests. "You're all leaving? Don't leave me."

"I'm here, Tay. I won't leave you," Laura smiled at her.

"Aww, you're too sweet," then she kissed her on her cheek. "Okay now everyone go! It's too late, you should all go to sleep."

-o-o-o-

A few minutes after everyone has left, Taylor finally felt exhausted. "I think we should go home, too."

"Haha, you think?" Both started walking towards a table and sat there for a while. They first freshened up which somehow sobered Taylor for a bit. "Okay, you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go." The blonde stood up and started walking.

Laura walked behind her while looking for her phone inside her bag. When Taylor suddenly stopped, she walked right behind her and almost smacked her face at the back of her head. "Damn it, Schilling, you wanna break my face?"

Taylor laughed at her friend's shocked look. "Sorry, are you okay?" She examined Laura's face for a bit, still laughing.

"Oh, so this is amusing you now, huh?" Taylor's laugh was too contagious that Laura couldn't help but laugh, too.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Taylor was trying to stifle her laugh, though unsuccessfully. "Oh, you still look hot. No worries." She then tweaked Laura on the cheek.

"I know, you don't need to tell," Laura grinned. "Anyways, what's wrong?"

"I just realized that I didn't bring my driver with me. How am I supposed to go home?"

"Wow, you did know we were all gonna get drunk tonight, right?"

"I actually thought I wasn't gonna drink at all, biggest mistake of my life."

Laura chuckled. "Oh well, come on then. I'll just bring you home. I'll just tell Jackson to come back here to get your car."

"Are you sure that'll be okay? It's late and—"

"Girl, shut up. It's okay. Let's go." She walked past Taylor and when the blonde didn't start moving, Laura extended her arms towards her. Taylor looked at her friend's hand for a second and even before she could decide against it, she was already walking out the bar's door, hand in hand with Laura.

-o-o-o-

When they got inside Laura's car, Taylor slumped at the backseat followed by the brunette. "Girl, honestly I have never seen you this drunk. Well, not really drunk 'drunk', I mean you should see yourself in the mirror right now." Laura couldn't hide her amusement at the sight of a drunken Taylor. "Jackson, let's bring Tay at her place first," she told her driver and the car started moving.

"I actually don't need to see myself anymore because I'm feeling it, on every inch of my body." Taylor's exhaustion, drowsiness and all the drinks she's had combined were starting to take their toll on her and she could feel her body giving up and her eyes slowly closing. She looked at Laura who was looking at her very intently with a slight smirk on her lips. "What?"

"Nothing, you're just looking cute is all," the black-haired woman looked out her window. She was surprised how sober she felt because she was pretty sure she drank more than Taylor did. Maybe it was because she felt the need to take care of her co-star right now that she had fought off the urge to give in to her drunkenness.

"Hey, Alex?" Taylor softly whispered as she put her palm over one of Laura's hand.

Laura looked back at her friend, surprised. "Did you just call me Alex? How drunk are you? Really?"

"What? I did wh-? Call you what?" Taylor asked, obviously not thinking straight anymore because she had then closed her eyes as she had finally fallen asleep.

Laura softly laughed as she looked down on Taylor's hand on her. She smiled at this but then suddenly realized something. "Shit."

Jackson heard her and looked at her through the rear view mirror. "Everything fine?"

"I don't think we should bring her home. Let's just bring her to my place."


	2. Chapter 2 - First Free Day

**CHAPTER 2 – FIRST FREE DAY**

"Hey, we're home," said Jackson which woke Laura up. She had also fallen asleep. She opened her eyes and noticed that Taylor's head was on her shoulder and her head, on the other hand, was resting on her friend's head. She looked out and true enough, they were already parked at her house.

"Oh, right," she moved slightly, not wanting to wake Taylor up.

When Jackson noticed the two, "You want me to help you with that?"

"Yes, please." Together, she and Jackson put Taylor's arms on either side of them and walked her towards her house. "Geez, Tay. You're a lot heavier than you look."

"She sure is," agreed Jackson. "How on earth is she still sleeping? We're practically dragging her to your house."

"Got me there," answered Laura with a laugh. "I think she's too exhausted. And she drank more than she usually does."

"So, where do we bring her?"

Laura thought for a moment. She was about to say they should just bring her to the guest room when she realized that room was actually such a mess right now. "Let's just bring her to my room." When they reached her room, they slowly put Taylor on Laura's bed. "What am I supposed to do with her?" she asked her driver.

"What?" asked Jackson, unsure of what Laura meant.

"Well, I have never had a drunk woman on my bed before. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to undress her and change her clothes? I can't let her sleep that way."

"Hmm, I honestly don't know how to help you with that. Because, you know, when I have a drunk woman on my bed, she usually just undresses herself for me," said Jackson, who got hit by Laura on his arm. "What?" he asked, laughing.

"Pervert." She looked back at Taylor, not sure what to do next. She had always hung out with guys, so whenever they would get drunk, she didn't feel much responsible for it because she knew they could take care of themselves. "Anyways, I need you to go back to Rooftop and bring Tay's car here. Could you do that for me, please?"

"Sure," answered Jackson. He got Taylor's car keys and before he got out of the room, he asked Laura, with a straight face, "So, do you need any help with the undressing thing? I just realized I might be of help."

"Get out of here! That's my friend, right there!" And she gave him another slap on his arm.

Jackson got out, laughing.

-o-o-o-

After Jackson had left, Laura started taking Taylor's shoes off then her clothes. She didn't feel uncomfortable doing this, given that she had already seen her naked during her scenes with her on their show. Hell, she's even touched her in places she never thought she would. Thinking about that, she unconsciously smiled and shook her head. After undressing her, she had put some of her clothes on her. Just like Jackson, it also surprised her that none of these woke Taylor up. "Wow, you must be really exhausted, girl." She then proceeded to take some of Taylor's make up off with a damp cloth.

When she was satisfied with how Taylor looked, she put a blanket over her. She then went on to change her own clothes. With Laura's back on Taylor, she started removing her dress.

"Well, don't you look hot."

Laura looked back at the voice and saw that Taylor was up. "Thanks," she gave her that 'Alex smile' that had always melted everyone's heart. "But really? I've almost dragged you here, got you naked and put clothes on you, and you didn't wake up. Now you do?"

Taylor chuckled. "I'm sorry." She looked around and it was only then that she realized she wasn't home. "Oh, where—"

"Had to bring you home, girl. I told you, you were so asleep I didn't think you could open your own door for yourself and you've got lots of keys I didn't have the energy to look for the right one so I just decided to bring you here."

"Thank you so much. And I'm sorry. I promise I'll be out of your way as early as I can tomorrow... or later."

"You're acting like you just met me. I told you it's okay. I'm sorry though that I had to bring you to my room. The guest room's a mess."

"No worries. I'll be fine here."

"All right, then. Now close your eyes so I can change my clothes."

"What? You get to see me naked and I can't have the same privilege? That's totally unfair!" Taylor jokingly told Laura.

Laura laughed. "Maybe you should get me drunk next time, then."

-o-o-o-

A few hours later, Taylor woke up to the smell of freshly cooked bacon and egg and some delicious-smelling food she didn't know what. She looked at her phone and the time said 8:16am, not even five hours since she and Laura slept. After Laura had changed, she laid down right beside Taylor and they spent what felt like hours of talking and laughing and laughing some more until they finally fell asleep.

Taylor stretched her arms and felt so relaxed and light that she didn't have to do anything today. As much as she loved her job and co-stars so much, she had been clamouring for a day off ever since they started filming OITNB's third season. She planned to have this breakfast with Laura, then go straight home and sleep all day. She smiled at the thought.

After fixing herself, she then went to the dining area where she saw Laura putting plates on the table. The food she prepared looked so good that Taylor almost went and ate it without even acknowledging her gorgeous friend right there.

"Good morning! Just right on time," Laura smiled at as the blonde approached her.

"Laura, these look good! I don't think I can live with you. I'm gonna get fat," Taylor sat and started grabbing food. "Oh! And good morning by the way, can I start eating?" she asked excitedly.

Laura chuckled at Taylor. "Sure, girl. You look like you're gonna eat me instead if you don't start eating that now." The two of them suddenly froze as they both thought of the other meaning those words could've meant. "I don't mean 'take the plunge', you pervert!" They laughed so hard both their eyes almost watered.

They were already eating and Taylor kept commending Laura for how great her cooking skills were. "Seriously, it even tastes better than it looks!"

"You should taste everything my Mom cooks. She's a million times better." Laura smiled as she remembered her mom.

"I'm sure she is," Taylor agreed. "Anyways, aren't you going to Jersey?"

"I actually am. I'm leaving tomorrow. Going to stay there for a while, probably a week or so. But today, I'm just gonna stay in my bed and binge watch all day," Laura laughed at the silliness of her plan.

"Oh my gosh, are you serious? I actually am planning to do the same thing!"

At that thought, Laura and Taylor looked at each other and instantly knew just what they needed to do.

-o-o-o-

A few minutes later, both of them were done eating. "Geez, that's delicious! How are you so good at everything? I mean, you play poker, you ride bikes, you cook, and all other things you do. What can you not do, huh? Really," Taylor exclaimed as she helped Laura with the dishes.

"I can't sing," Laura laughed. "But you're making it sound as if I'm really, and I mean reaaally," she couldn't have stressed the word 'really' enough, "good at these things. Honestly, I'm not. I mean, you know, it's just doing things that I love, and that's it, really. I'm sure you have those, too."

"Yeah, maybe. But still, I'm really impressed."

"Thanks, girl," Laura smiled at her. "So," she looked at Taylor with the biggest grin on her face. "You ready to have the best day of your life?

"Hell, yeah!"

-o-o-o-

Laura and Taylor indeed stayed on the former's bed the whole day, watched How to Get Away With Murder, Taylor's choice, and laughed and just had a great time. It was such a refreshing thing for both of them since they mostly spent time together at work, or did their own thing if they weren't working.

Laura mostly spent her days with her family in Jersey or if she's not home, she's everywhere else playing poker, riding bikes, directing, writing, and having fun with her guy friends, sometimes with her closest girl friend, Jodi. Taylor, on the other hand, stayed at home with her family, read scripts, and had her own fun with her own set of friends. It was the first time that the two of them spent time together, unrelated to work and they were surprised how much they had enjoyed it, albeit it was just watching and talking.

"I can't believe we've never done this before. I mean, we've been working together for how many years now? Three? Well, not that we've had a lot of time to just lay in bed and watch tv shows all day, but, you know." Taylor chuckled. She was on the right side of the bed, leaning on Laura's shoulder, as the latter was applying nail polish on her nails. They have just finished watching and decided to just talk.

"Geez girl, stop moving so much, I'm gonna ruin my nails." Laura chuckled. "And yeah, you're right. This is fun. Can't believe I'd actually enjoy just staying at home all day.

Taylor then sat up. "Come on, let me do that." She grabbed the nail polish form Laura and started applying it on her nails. "I know! You are such a workaholic I never thought you'd even think of doing this."

Laura watched Taylor do her thing and was surprised at herself for actually enjoying this girl thing, as she liked to call it. "I know. It's crazy."

"Promise we'll do this again," Taylor looked into Laura's eyes.

Laura smiled, knowing Taylor didn't have to tell her that. She wanted to do it again. "Promise."

-o-o-o-

"Thank you so much for taking care of me last night. And for fixing my mood in the first place. I really do appreciate it." Taylor was already at the door. It was late afternoon when Taylor decided to leave. It was funny how hard it was for her to leave Laura's place. She thought she'd enjoyed not doing anything for the first time in months that she was afraid if she left Laura's place, all of that would go away instantly.

"Don't worry about it. I knew you'd do the same for me." They were walking towards Taylor's car now.

"Of course. Call me when you get back from Jersey, okay?"

"What, you miss me already?" Laura joked.

"I think yeah! I mean, seriously. Binge watching will never be the same without you," Taylor winked at her then gave her a hug. "So, see you soon?"

"Yes! Bye, girl. Take care." She kissed Taylor's cheek as she went inside her car. Laura waved goodbye just as her friend's car was speeding away. And when she couldn't see the car anymore, she then went inside her place. She slowly locked her door and as she was walking towards her room, she pondered on how it is possible for a relationship to change in just a span of 24 hours.

-o-o-o-

**A/N:**

**Thank you to those who have reviewed so far. Please tell me what you guys think, it will mean so much to me!**

**Sorry if there were some mistakes. Xo**

**-jen-**


	3. Chapter 3 - Everything's Changing

**CHAPTER 3 – EVERYTHING'S CHANGING**

A few weeks later, Laura and Taylor were closer than ever. When Laura arrived in New York after spending more than a week in Jersey, she immediately called Taylor and they again spent the day together. From then on, whenever they had free time, each would call the other one and they would then spend that free time together.

They were seen in public a lot that more rumours of them being together in real life were spread all over the world. Knowing that they were both just really good friends, they just shrugged all of those off.

"Have you heard the news today?" asked Taylor.

She and Laura were having lunch out. Both had just finished their weekly workout. Both of them worked out three to four times a week but picked one day from those to work out together. Everyone kept staring at them but it had been happening a lot lately that Taylor had mastered how to ignore it.

Laura found it harder to ignore the stares, though. She found it quite uncomfortable eating with a lot of eyes on them. She's never really gotten used to fame yet, even though she's been one of the most talked-about television personalities for years, especially now with the popularity of their show.

But she appreciated all her fans. As crazy as some were, they were part of the reasons for her good life today and she was forever thankful for that.

"Wait, are you okay?" She looked around and knew instantly that all the stares were making her friend uncomfortable.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm fine. It's just, people keep staring. I feel like they're trying to undress me with their eyes," she chuckled.

"Well, let them. You have a hot gorgeous body," she joked to ease Laura's tension, and she succeeded. "Ignore them. They'll stop, eventually. Wait, do you wanna move some place else? We can just leave."

"No, no, it's all right. Promise. I'll just... ignore it." And she did. She just focused on her food and Taylor. "Anyway, what news?"

"Oh, that." Just thinking about it made Taylor shake her head. "Well, news is out that someone saw us making out at a bar last night."

Taylor said it with such straight face that Laura almost believed it. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, there's even a photo, mind you. A tall black-haired woman and a blonde not as tall as the other one... shagging." Taylor was close to laughing now.

"A photo? What, was it photoshopped or something?" Laura found it so preposterous that she, too, was starting to laugh.

"Apparently not. The photo was real. There were really two real people making out, both girls, a blonde and a black-haired." She paused. "We're sure that's not us, right?" This time, Taylor had let out her chuckle.

Laura had joined in, too. It was ridiculous how news went these days.

"You know what, that actually makes me wonder how people would react if we actually did go out. I mean, as a real couple. Like Alex-Piper couple. Minus the drugs and all the bullshit, of course. Maybe they wouldn't even believe it anymore." Taylor said wonderously.

"Jesus, I can only imagine. Everyone would go crazy."

-o-o-o-

"I noticed how you're starting to become a homebody these past few weeks." It was Laura's mother, Marjorie. She was in New York for a few days to attend some friend's wedding.

"What do you mean? You've only been here two days, Ma." They were both at Laura's couch, each enjoying a cup of tea.

"What, you think I don't have ears and eyes here?"

"Gee, who are you and what have you done to my mother? She usually doesn't care about what I do, you know." She then heard how what she had just said may have sounded to her mom. "Not in a bad way, though."

Unsurprisingly, Marjorie didn't find it offensive. She even laughed. "Doesn't mean I don't grab every chance I can get to look after my kids, you know. So, who's causing these sudden changes?"

Laura found it weird that her mom was asking her these questions. Sure, she rarely went out of her house nowadays. She would rather stay at home and just chill, most of the time with Taylor. Or sometimes, they stayed at her place and did indoor stuff. She didn't think anything was wrong with that, though.

"What? You're being weird, Mom. Well, not that you already aren't but, you know. Where are all of these things coming from? Is it because of all the news you've been hearing? I thought you didn't read those kinds of things." Before she realized it, Laura was blabbing.

"Laura, dear, you would think that I'd know my own children, wouldn't you? I don't know who you're hanging out with these days but I really do think that whoever that person is, is giving your world a 360-degree turn. You may not have realized it yet, but you will, eventually. I'm a hundred percent sure of that."

"Mother, you're freaking me out. Why are you saying all these things? Nothing's changed. I mean, I just currently prefer being at home these days because I'm trying to get all the rest I can get while taking a break from Orange. That's it. I don't know what the big fuss is all about."

"Honey, you never rest! You always find time to do almost everything. And you spend every minute of your day making sure you get to spend each of those with everyone in your life, and I mean, everyone. So if you've suddenly decided that it's actually better to spend all of those minutes with just one person, which I believe is what you're currently doing, then you should know, something has really changed."

Laura couldn't say anything back after that.

-o-o-o

"I don't know, she was being so weird, talking about changes and all. It was actually funny. Just when I thought my Mom couldn't get any weirder." Laura was on the phone talking to Taylor.

She was with her guy friends, and they were all doing laps of bike riding, though she's taking her break now. Even if she didn't want to admit it to herself, because doing so would mean she agreed with her mom, she wanted to prove her that nothing she said was true. That she wasn't changing.

"Well, you know mothers. They're like that." Taylor let out a soft laugh on the other end of the line. She heard Laura sigh. "Honey, chill! You know your Mom's just looking out for you. Don't be too stressed about it."

"Yeah, I just can't shake off what she told me. It keeps ringing in my ears."

"Why? Is everything she said true?"

"No! Definitely not. I told you, girl. She was being weird, which is, of course, what she does all the time. But this is different, it's creepy."

Taylor giggled. "You'll forget about that soon enough, trust me." When Laura didn't say anything, Taylor decided to change the topic to make Laura forget about it for a while. "Where are you anyway? It kind of sounds noisy over there. Do I hear motorcycles?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm with the guys." Suddenly, Laura's voice sounded a lot happier. "Hey guys, say hello to Taylor!"

Everyone said their hi's and hello's.

"Heard that? We're just hangin' out, you know what we usually do. I actually can't believe how much I missed this."

"Oh, hello to everyone! And right, you haven't done that in a reallyyyy long time. You've been staying at home a lot."

Laura didn't know what to feel that Taylor just said almost exactly what her Mom told her. "Yeah, I've been told," she said nonchalantly.

"What?"

"Nothing. You were saying?"

"Bikes! Oh hey, I wanna learn how to do that! It looks like so much fun! Can you bring me one of these days to your motorcycle rides... or whatever you call it? Please?"

Laura suddenly felt excited because of what Taylor said and she didn't even know why. "Really? That would be amazing, Tay! When do you wanna do it?"

-o-o-o-

The next day, Taylor and Laura were both riding bikes. Laura had to teach Taylor first but she was such a fast learner that soon enough they were having a blast going around New York City. They didn't even realize that it had been hours since they started. When they did, they went back to Laura's for some snacks.

"Wow! That was the best! I actually thought it was just gonna be like the normal bicycle ride, you know? But it was a lot more awesome! The adrenaline, everything! It was perfect." Taylor was saying as Laura prepared food. She had the biggest smile.

"What'd I tell you, huh?" Laura already loved riding bikes so much so she didn't think that this ride was going to be any different. But she was wrong. She had more fun than she'd ever had. And she wanted to make herself believe that it was because she had just missed doing this a lot.

"Let's do this again, please? I wanna go faster!"

Taylor was squealing like a little child and Laura found her too adorable. Realizing what she had just thought, she silently scolded herself.

_"Snap out of it, Laura."_

_"What, is it so bad to find a friend adorable now?"_

_"You know it's more than that, you doofus."_

"Hello? Earth to Laura!"

"Oh! What? Oh, right sorry." She tried to compose herself before answering Taylor. "Hm, you don't wanna do that, girl. Safety first."

"Aw, don't be such a pussy!" She threw her a small green pea.

"Wh- now I'm a pussy? Who taught you how to ride, in the first place, huh?" She returned the favour by throwing her two green peas.

"Pussy!" She threw her another pea, and this time Taylor was laughing so hard.

And so was Laura, she was almost guffawing. "Say pussy again." She looked at Taylor laughing, taking in how beautiful she looked, and the warmth she felt inside her knowing that she was the reason Taylor was this happy.

That's when she realized why this bike ride was the best she's ever had. It had nothing to do with the activity. Everything was about who she had done it with.

-o-o-o-

It was one of those drunken nights again. Taylor and Laura had just gone from a party a writer from OITNB threw and of course, they were again both drunk when they went home, Laura's home.

Both of them were lying on the Laura's bed. Taylor was out but Laura was still very much awake. She was on her side, facing Taylor who was peacefully sleeping. For the longest time, Laura just kept staring at Taylor's face. She realized she'd been doing that a lot lately but she never really had the chance to figure out the reason behind it.

Some of Taylor's hair was on her face so Laura gently tucked those behind her friend's ear so as not to wake her up. Then suddenly, as if a magnet was pulling Laura towards Taylor, she slowly inched her face closer to her and kissed her on her forehead.

She stared at her closed eyes and imagined her looking back at her...

...her nose and how she would scratch them out of habit...

...and then her lips, those soft lips she's always loved to kiss.

But then Taylor moved slightly snapping Laura out of what seemed to her as a trance.

And that's when she felt like someone had poured cold water all over her. Because it was impossible. It was impossible that she was looking at Taylor differently now. She couldn't be looking at her this way.

But when she realized that she actually already did, "Fuck," was all she had muttered to herself.


	4. Chapter 4 - Avoiding the Inevitable

**CHAPTER 4 – Avoiding the Inevitable**

"_...and I don't know what to do... coz I'll never be with you."_

It was two days later and Laura couldn't still accept the fact that she had actually fallen in love with Taylor, her best friend, and bigger problem on her part, a girl. She had no problems with lesbians or bisexuals. She was a big supporter of them. But not once had she ever thought that she was actually a part of that community. Growing up, she had always been one of the guys. She loved doing things guys normally did, and doing those things with men. But she loved them, too. She loved being in-love with them. Sure, she's had so many girl crushes but that was it, plain crush. She thought she had always been straight and not anything other than that. So why was she feeling this now?

Convinced that she was just being paranoid, she tried everything she could to ignore what she was feeling. So when Taylor invited her to a small fashion show that her friend had organized, she agreed to go with her. Even if every muscle and bone in her body felt excited just at the thought of seeing Taylor again, she kept trying to convince herself that it was not what she was feeling.

Taylor and she decided to just meet at the venue. Taylor was running a little late so Laura waited for her at the lobby so they could go in together. While waiting for her friend, she kept pacing back and forth because she was freaking out. She was hoping that after seeing her today, it would all be clear. She wasn't in-love and it was stupid of her to even think about it. It was just a drunken moment.

But then Taylor arrived and Laura felt her knees weaken because boy, was she so wrong. Because she didn't look at Jodi this way, or Tasha, or Yael or any other women for that matter. The moment she saw her, she felt her heart do flip flops inside her chest then it started beating faster. Taylor smiled at her and it was the best smile in the world, like she could just stare at it all day.

"Hi!" Taylor almost ran to her, then kissed her on the cheek. "I'm so sorry I'm late. I was reading this script my agent sent to me. It was so good I totally forgot about the time."

"Don't worry about it, girl."

"So. Let's go?" She held her arm and they started walking.

When she held her, Laura felt as if electricity went through her veins. She was feeling things she'd never felt even with her former boyfriends and it was driving her insane. _"Fuck,"_ she thought. _"Get a grip of yourself, bitch."_

-o-o-o-

The show had started when they arrived but there were two seats reserved for them in front that they had sat as soon as they got there. The beautiful dresses made by the designer took Laura's mind off Taylor for a while. She's always loved wearing simple clothing, shirts and baggy jeans were her thing. But she didn't mind wearing the beautiful ones, too. She's always dressed to impress whenever she had to, and she had always been successful at those.

She didn't know how it happened, but she just suddenly felt something warm and light at the back of her palm. She looked down at her hand and saw Taylor involuntarily doing it. She was leaning towards Laura while watching the show and her thumb was making light circles on Laura's hand.

The latter tried to ignore it. It was not unusual for Taylor to be this touchy. She did this to everyone and Laura shouldn't freak out.

But the minutes kept dragging as the only thing she was noticing was Taylor's hand on hers and how it made her feel the exact same thing she was trying to avoid. So when she couldn't take it any longer, she pulled her hand away then stood up.

"Hey, everything okay?" asked Taylor, who was surprised by this.

"Y-yeah, yeah, yeah. I just... Uh, I remembered that I gotta go do this thing that... Uh, I gotta go do something. I'm sorry, it slipped off my mind." She realized she was stammering but she didn't care. She had to get out of there. Fast.

"Oh, okay. Let's go then."

Taylor was starting to stand, too, but Laura stopped her. "No, you have to finish the show. Your friend is gonna kill you if you don't."

Taylor then sat back down.

"I'm really sorry. I'll just call you, okay?"

Taylor just kept nodding, unsure of what was happening.

Then Laura started walking away. Taylor followed her with her eyes. Few seconds later, Laura was out of her sight.

-o-o-o-

Laura thought that it was going to be easy ignoring Taylor. For the first few days, she didn't have any problems because there was really no reason for them to see each other yet. But then it had to come. That day when Taylor would call her and invite her to some place, as she usually did. At first it was easy to decline. She just had to make up some reason why she couldn't make it then it was all good.

Then came the second phone call, asking her how her day was and if she wanted to go to Taylor's place for some lunch or dinner. Laura didn't even know anymore because the minute Taylor started saying her invitation, all she could think about was how she was getting out of it this time. She managed to think of a reason, albeit lame, and she was good to go again.

Then another phone call, then another one, and another one. When she couldn't think of any reason to decline any of Taylor's invitations anymore, she just started not answering her calls at all. And afraid that Taylor might give her a surprise visit, she had barely stayed at home. She usually just came home during hours when she knew Taylor wouldn't come anymore.

It was killing her. She hated the fact that she hadn't seen and talked to Taylor in weeks now but there was no other way. She thought that maybe if she ignored her, if she wouldn't see her in a long time, the feelings she had for her would go away.

But she was wrong. Because now she missed her so much. It took every strength in her body to keep herself from going to Taylor's place. And she didn't know how it was possible, but she knew she loved her even more now. Maybe what you resisted really did persist.

-o-o-o-

Taylor was having her daily morning jog when she saw a familiar figure walking on the other side of the street. "Hey, Laura!" She knew that Laura saw her but didn't show any signs that she did. She just kept walking, and faster. "Laura!" This time the blonde had to start running to keep up with her. When she was only a few steps behind her, "Laura, if you don't stop running away from me, I swear t-"

Right then, Laura stopped but did not immediately face Taylor. When she did, she was wearing the biggest smile she could show. "Hey, girl it's you! Sorry, didn't hear you there."

Instead of answering her, Taylor gave her a 'I-can't-believe-you-think-I'd-fall-for-that' look.

"What?" Laura asked nonchalantly.

"You're avoiding me. Why are you avoiding me?"

Laura laughed. "Taylor that's absurd. Why would I avoid you?"

"I think I just asked you that."

"I'm not, okay? You're being paranoid, girl." Laura looked away. And it was pretty obvious how uncomfortable she was being there right now.

For a moment, Taylor didn't know what to say. She then chose not to push this any further. She smiled, a big one. "All right. That's good then! Now let's go get some coffee. Or eat. Yeah, let's eat! I'm starving." Taylor held Laura's arm and pulled her to start walking but the latter immediately pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, I honestly would love to. But I gotta run, girl. I have lots of stuff to do today. Sorry. Rain check?"

Taylor sighed. "This is not avoiding me? Laura, come on, I'm not stupid. You haven't answered any of my calls. And I haven't seen you in a really long time. What did I do? Did I do something wrong? Please tell me because this is driving me crazy."

"Why are you being so overly dramatic today?" Laura laughed but Taylor noticed the shallowness of it. "Fine," she sounded defeated. "Let's go."

-o-o-o-

They went to a weird, small but cozy coffee shop which only had a few people, those of whom looked weird, too. But they seemed nice so it wasn't really a problem. It was Laura's choice. She didn't wanna catch too much attention so she chose this place.

Taylor looked all over the place and found it bizarre. "Wow, you told me your family's eccentric. I didn't really think that included you. Until now."

Laura smiled. She missed this. She missed her. "Well, I am eccentric, too, you know. Say hello to the side of me you've never seen before." Laura held her hands up with an open-mouthed smile, as if presenting herself to Taylor.

Taylor saw Laura smiling and it made her feel good. She's never really thought of how much she missed that until now. "So, wanna talk about it now?" asked Taylor as both sat a corner table after they had made their orders.

"Talk about what?" She tried one last time to get out of this.

"Nice try."

That wiped the smile off of Laura's face. She suddenly became serious. "There's really nothing to talk about. Sorry that I haven't talked to you in a while. I've just been really busy."

Taylor felt bad that Laura was immediately back to her reserved self but she had to know where all of this was coming from. Laura couldn't keep ignoring her forever.

"You were so busy that you couldn't even pick up the phone anymore? And what, is that also the reason why you can't look me in the eye right now?"

Laura didn't answer her. She was unconsciously playing with a toy troll displayed on their table.

"Laura. You know I am not letting this go." She grabbed the toy from her and replaced it with her own hands. As if put on fire, Laura immediately jerked them away from Taylor. The latter then took a deep breath and shook her head.

Laura hated seeing Taylor looking so disappointed. She then let out a long breath, something she didn't realize she had been holding. "Fine, I'll tell you." She looked around and realized that she couldn't talk about it here. "But not here."

-o-o-o-

They were inside Laura's place. Taylor was sitting at the couch looking at Laura who was sitting so far away from her. "What now?"

"Look, I've been trying so hard to avoid this moment, okay? Because I didn't wanna ruin anything. Especially the great working relationship that we have." Laura couldn't even say the word friendship anymore, because by feeling what she felt right now, by being in-love with Taylor, she felt like she's betrayed her friend. "So don't blame me if after this, everything's gonna change, okay?"

"Okay. But, I don't understand. What's going to change? Why is there a need for any changes at all?" She waited for Laura to look back at her but she didn't. "And will you please look at me when you're talking? I feel like you're so disgusted to even look at me anymore."

Laura finally looked at her and she had that face which kinds of scare people away. Laura had one of those looks that made her look like a total bitch. She had that look now.

"What did I do?" Taylor asked again.

"You did not do anything. This is all me." She looked away again.

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"Because this feels so fucking wrong! We were fine! We were doing okay. And I had to let this happen and ruin everything!" Laura felt so mad that she had allowed herself to feel this. She looked at Taylor for a second and it calmed her down a bit. "I want you to know that I never wanted this... that I never thought I'd ever feel this—"

Taylor was starting to piece two and two together but she didn't want to fully embrace the thought that was starting to form in her mind because as much as she wanted to digest everything in her mind right now, she couldn't. It felt like this was happening so fast. But she could feel Laura's pain just by looking at her and listening to her voice and it hurt her, too. She didn't wanna see her this way. "Laura, please look at me."

Laura didn't budge so Taylor stood and went right in front of her.

"I said look at me!"

Laura then stood, too, and looked at Taylor. "What?!" She was on the verge of tears now. She was filled with all kinds of emotions, anger at Taylor for pushing her to her limits and more at herself for even feeling this in the first place, fear of what this may cause their relationship, sadness that she had let it come this far, and so much love for the woman in front of her who looked so worried and sad and scared, not knowing what was going on. Laura couldn't hold the tears anymore and they started flowing, as if racing with each other. "I can't be feeling this, Taylor. But I am. And I'm so... so... sorry."

Just by looking at Laura's eyes, Taylor knew.


	5. Chapter 5 - Feeling It, Too

**CHAPTER 5 – FEELING IT, TOO**

Taylor was inside her room doing everything she could not to take her phone and call Laura. She wanted to talk to her so badly but she asked for some time to think about everything and she had to give that to her. Even though she missed her so much. And she's missed her ever since that fashion show they saw together which was weeks ago.

It was only yesterday that she told her about what she felt. Well, not really 'told' as she had figured it out herself. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy for Laura to say those things to her, the way she felt for her, because it would've been the same way for her if the tables were turned, and Taylor understood.

What she didn't understand was why Laura thought that this would push her away. Sure, she was surprised at first that Laura felt that way for her. But it always felt good, knowing someone loved you the way Laura did.

Taylor didn't know this at first, because she's never really been in this situation before, but it didn't matter to her whether that kind of love was coming from a man or a woman, or any other label for that matter. What mattered was that someone loved her and that was always a beautiful thing to have.

But Laura thought otherwise, and it made Taylor sad. Because she didn't want Laura out of her life. She didn't know how it was going to be without her in it and she couldn't even bring herself to imagine it. Laura was too important to her, she was not gonna lose her.

-o-o-o-

"Knock, knock." It was the familiar voice of Laura's mom.

"Come in." She was inside her room in Jersey. She wanted to see her mom because she knew it was only her who could clear her mind right now but Marjorie was out when she arrived earlier today.

"Hey, I thought your sister was messing with me when she told me you were here. When did you arrive?"

"Just a few hours ago."

When Laura knew that Taylor had understood what she was trying to tell her, she asked her to leave. The blonde didn't want to, though. She wanted to stay and talk about it but Laura felt like she was going to explode any minute then so she insisted that Taylor left. There was a pained expression on her face when she went out of her house that hurt Laura even more but she had no other choice. She had to think this through.

So the very next day, she left as early as she could. And now she was here. In front of the only person she knew could help her right now.

"What's wrong honey? Is everything all right?" Marjorie sat down on the foot of Laura's bed.

"Can't it just be that I miss you and that I wanted to see you today?"

"You would've called if that was the case. You're not very fond of surprises. So, spill it, kid. Cut the chase, I'm listening."

Laura was so thankful that her mom knew her so much. It made everything a lot easier. The only problem was that she didn't really know about what exactly was going on in her life right now. So she found herself lost for words when she was about to explain why she was really there. "Well... you know the last time that you were in New York and told me about these things? About having changed and all that stuff?"

"Yes. Have you finally accepted that I was right?"

Laura nodded. Then she put her hands all over her face, "Mom, I can't."

"You can't what? Honey, tell me."

"I cannot let things change. They're way too complicated." Laura sighed. Her mom didn't say anything and she knew she was waiting for her to go on. "You know T-taylor, right?"

From the look on her Mom's face, Laura knew that she didn't need to say anything more about that. She already got it.

"Mom, how is it possible for me to live 34 years of my life and only realize now that this is who I really am? That I'm capable of this kind of love... for... for the s-same sex?"

It was still hard for Laura to understand and to accept that everything she's believed in ever since she started being capable of understanding things on her own may still change, or worse, may have been wrong all along.

"I don't understand. What if... what if I'm wrong? What if I'm not really in-love with her? That I'm just confused by all this because of what everyone wants me to feel?"

"Sweetheart," Marjorie held both Laura's hands, "sometimes, we make ourselves believe in something that our heart cannot take but our mind can. It somehow becomes like a surrounding wall around us to make us feel protected and safe from anyone or anything that we think is capable of hurting us. And what you're feeling right now, that is something that your mind didn't tell you to feel. It's your heart that made you feel that. Taylor has broken that barrier you've made around you, something no one had ever done before. Not because they could not, but because you never let them. And somehow, maybe you felt that Taylor was different. Because you let her in. And I know it's scary and confusing and unimaginable all at the same time. Because it's new to you and it's something that you can never really prepare yourself for. But try removing all the clutter that's inside your heart right now, and just leave what's in the very bottom of it. Because that's when you'll see, that the love you feel for her is really the only thing that's supposed to matter."

-o-o-o-

It had been a week since the last time she and Laura had talked. Taylor was done giving her the time she asked for because she thought that a week was more than enough to think. And she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.

So she tried calling Laura a hundred times but she wouldn't pick up. She's visited her place but she was never there. She even tried contacting Laura's friends and even her sisters and brother, to no avail. She knew that there was no chance Laura would call her right now after everything that's happened. But that didn't stop her from hoping that she'd eventually call. Because she's worried.

And she missed her.

Suddenly her phone rang. It was an unregistered number but she still answered anyway. "Hello?"

"Hello? Is this Taylor Schilling?" It was an unfamiliar voice of an old woman.

"Yes, who is this?"

"Honey, this is Marjorie, Laura's mom."

-o-o-o-

Taylor was at the door of Laura's house in Los Angeles. She had been ringing the door bell for minutes now but she's not coming out. As much as Laura was trying to avoid her, Taylor knew that she wouldn't ignore her this way and so this is really bothering her.

"Laura, it's Taylor! Open up, please." After about another five seconds of silence, she heard something crash inside. "Laura? What the hell is happening?" She was banging at the door now.

"Are you planning on tearing down my door?" Laura was finally in front of her now and she was the palest Taylor had ever seen her ever. Her eyes looked puffy as if she'd been crying and her nose was so red and she couldn't even stand straight. She was holding on to her door as if holding on to her dear life.

"What on earth..." was everything Taylor could say at the sight of her friend.

Just as Laura turned her back on Taylor, she felt her knees buckle and almost fell down if it wasn't for the blonde who quickly rushed behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist to keep her from collapsing.

"Jesus Laura, what the hell happened to you?! You're burning up!" She walked her towards the living room and made her seat on the couch. "Have you eaten?"

Laura nodded.

"Have you taken any medicine at all?"

Laura shook her head.

Without saying anything, Taylor walked away and Laura knew she was going to her medicine cabinet.

"Taylor, I'm fine." The black-haired woman tried to sound as if nothing was wrong but her voice didn't fool Taylor. "And how did you even know I was here? No one knows I'm here."

A moment later, Taylor was back with a glass of water and some medicine. "Except your mom." She handed her the medicine and water.

Laura sighed. Of course, how didn't she see this coming? She should've known her mom would eventually crack. She then took the medicine.

"And really? You're fine? Because that doesn't look fine to me. Almost falling down the fucking floor didn't look fine to me!" Taylor breathed deeply because she realized she was flaring up. "Drink that. You'll feel better. It's gonna make you feel drowsy in a bit. This is strong so I'm talking minutes here."

"Thanks. But Taylor, you're overreacting. It's just flu. I'm okay, I swear."

"Just a flu?! Have you seen yourself lately? You look terrible!" She helped Laura up and led her towards her bedroom.

As Laura laid down, "Gee, thanks for the compliment. That definitely makes me feel better." Laura smirked, trying to lighten up the mood. She had never seen Taylor this mad and even though she didn't show it, it was freaking her out.

Taylor breathed deeply and bored her eyes onto Laura. "Laura, I am serious. What if I didn't come here? What if something happened to you? I can't even imagine how..." She stopped herself before she could say anything more. It scared her just thinking about it.

That wiped the smile off Laura's face. "I'm so sorry." She felt bad because she could really see how worried Taylor was.

"How long have you been like this?"

Laura shrugged. "I don't know, three, four days. Lost count." She closed her eyes because she was starting to feel dizzy again.

"Do you need me to bring you to the hospital? Or call your doctor?"

"There's no need for that."

"Are you sure?" Laura nodded. "God! How hard is it to give me a call and ask for help?" Taylor was pacing her room back and forth now. "Or, okay, you're avoiding me, I get it. Then why not call your other friends? Or your family? Or anyone who can at least take care of you when you fucking can't?!"

Taylor didn't think she had ever been this worried her whole life and she didn't understand why. But she chose to ignore that question she wanted to ask her own self because how Laura was feeling at that moment was all that mattered right now.

"Why are you yelling at me?" asked Laura, quite weakly and it even worried Taylor more. She still had her eyes closed.

"I'm not," said Taylor softly, when she realized that she actually was yelling.

"Yes, you are." She was smiling.

The blonde took another deep breath as she lowered her voice. "I'm sorry. I am not yelling at you, okay? I am just... I'm worried sick!" She put her hands all over her face as she sat at the bed, beside Laura. She put blanket all over her and tried removing some hair that has fallen all over her friend's face. She stared at her. "Please don't do this again."

This time, she opened her eyes and looked at Taylor. "I'm sorry I got you all worried and stuff. Promise, I won't do it again." Laura smiled, a sad one, and Taylor didn't fail to notice that. But again, she decided not to say anything about it. "Thanks for being here, girl." As Taylor had said, the med Laura took was starting to take effect as she suddenly felt the heaviness of her eyelids. She grabbed Taylor's hand and squeezed it gently. "I love you, Taylor," as she slowly closed her eyes.

Taylor just kept staring at Laura's face, still not letting go of her hand. She imagined her smiling at her, not just with her full lips, but also with those green beautiful eyes. She slowly cupped her face with her free hand and rubbed her cheek gently with her thumb. That's when Taylor understood why she was feeling everything she's been feeling lately.

And then she smiled. "I love you, too, Laura."

**-0-0-0-0-**

**A/N:**

**Thank you xowithyouxo and toesareoverrated for the wonderful reviews! **


	6. Chapter 6 - Falling In Love

**CHAPTER 6 – Falling In Love**

Laura woke up hoping that Taylor would still be there with her. She knew it was a long shot after everything that had happened but she still hoped anyway. Of everything that she was feeling right now, that was the only emotion she allowed herself to feel. She didn't understand why because it was such a dangerous feeling, but maybe, just maybe, it was what was keeping her sane right now.

She slowly opened her eyes and since her blinds were down, she couldn't immediately tell what time it was. She looked at the clock beside her and it read 7:43pm. She'd been asleep for almost eight hours.

She looked around her room and she was alone. Of course, Taylor had already left. What would she stay for, anyway? It would be a snooze fest to just stay there and watch her sleep.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was disappointed. She really thought she'd stay.

She tried sitting up and was surprised that she felt a lot better. Her head was still a little heavy, probably from too much sleeping but she didn't feel wobbly anymore. Then she felt her stomach grumble. She hadn't eaten in eight hours. She knew she had to get up and have something to eat. She needed to get her strength back. Her bed was sucking the life out of her.

Just as she was standing up, she tried to recall everything that had happened earlier today... Taylor coming into her house unannounced, getting all mad and worried. It made Laura smile thinking how Taylor was so concerned of her. She felt warmth spread all over her chest and once again, she thought of why she'd fallen in love with her in the first place. Taylor was sweet, and kind and beautiful, inside and out. She shouldn't be wondering why.

She then remembered Taylor helping her to bed and putting blanket all over her. What came after that was a little fuzzy, though. It was that time when the medicine she took started to kick in so it was a little hard remembering what else happened afterwards.

But then, she did remember. And she suddenly felt lightheaded as she recalled the last thing she told her before everything went black.

_"I love you, Taylor."_

"Fuck, I really did say those words," she told herself as she slumped back to bed and put her pillow all over her face. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" she had continuosly screamed a little too loudly. She felt embarrassed. She's never been that open with her feelings to anyone and it somehow made her feel vulnerable that she had just been exactly like that to Taylor. She then wanted to just disappear or go back in time and not say those words. No wonder Taylor had left. She'd probably scared her away.

All of a sudden, she heard a hustling sound just outside her door. She removed the pillow from her face and listened closely. Someone was outside. And it seemed as if that person was running. Then her door opened.

"What happened? Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Taylor was breathing heavily as she rushed to Laura's side. "Laura, you gotta say something." Taylor looked so concerned, probably because Laura seemed unable to move. She heard a scream and without thinking, she ran upstairs to Laura's room.

"You're here," said Laura softly as a smile was starting to form on her lips. She had forgotten why she was screaming.

"Yes, I am. And I heard you yelling so I rushed here. I thought something happened to you or something." She put the back of her palm on Laura's forehead then on her neck to see if she was still hot. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt that her temperature was back to normal.

"You're really here!" This time, Laura was really beaming. She'd totally forgotten about what was making her anxious just a while ago and all she felt at that time was pure delight that Taylor was there. She didn't leave her. And then not thinking about anything else, she hugged her so tightly that Taylor laughed.

"Yes, I'm here, honey." She hugged her back. "I'm not going anywhere," she said just as she kissed the side Laura's head.

Laura was the one who broke the hug.

"Why, did you think I was gonna leave you like this? What kind of person do you think I am?" Taylor faked a hurt look.

Laura shrugged. "I just... I thought..."

"You thought what?" She was smiling. She missed seeing Laura this happy.

"Never mind. Just..." Laura leaned in and hugged Taylor again. This time, she didn't care what Taylor would think. The only thing that mattered was that the woman she loved was here with her and she wanted to make her feel how much she loved her, and how grateful she was for her. "Thank you so much... for not leaving me."

Taylor felt happy that Laura wasn't trying to push her away anymore. That was a start. "You know I'd do anything for you."

-o-o-o-

Taylor and Laura ate a while later. It turned out that the blonde was making dinner when the latter woke up. Afterwards, Laura took a shower. She came out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around her. Taylor was lying on her bed, watching television.

"Wow, looking hot there, Prepon!" exclaimed Taylor as she turned off the television.

"Shut up," Laura chuckled. "Why did you turn it off?" She motioned her head towards the television.

"Well, I think I prefer watching this," answered Taylor as she faced Laura.

"Ha ha, very funny," Laura turned around so she could hide the smile slowly forming on her lips.

"What? I'm serious. I never forget, you know. Remember that time when you changed my clothes and saw me naked?"

"How can I forget? You were so drunk you called me Alex."

"Oh well, that," Taylor kept herself from laughing. "You still saw me naked. It's payback time, Prepon."

"Whoah. Easy there, tiger. Haven't you seen me naked already? Now you want more? Didn't know you could be so greedy, girl." This time Laura was grinning. "And what are you last-naming me for, anyways?"

"What, Tasha calls you that. Why can't I?"

"Well, I like it when you call me by my first name. It feels more... intimate." She suddenly felt so relieved that she had her back on her because if not, she would've seen her blush like an idiot. She started removing her towel but remembered that Taylor was still looking. She looked back at her. "Okay, game's over, Schilling. Turn around. I really need to change now. I'm freezing."

"Okay..." Taylor put her hands up as if surrendering, "...Laura." She obliged and did as she was told.

Laura turned her back on Taylor again. There was something with the way she said her name, and Laura did not miss that. She wasn't sure if she got it right but it felt like Taylor was flirting with her. It couldn't be possible, though. As far as she knew, Taylor was straight. She only treated her like a friend. Just by thinking that, she felt a twinge in her chest.

She was about to remove her towel when she felt movement behind her. She almost dropped it when she turned around and saw Taylor there, just inches from her. "Good god, Taylor! Are you trying to kill me?"

"No," Taylor playfully smirked as she took another step closer to Laura.

Laura meanwhile took a step back. "Then what are you doing sneaking up on me like that?" Her heart was beating so fast because she could almost feel Taylor's hot breath on her.

"Sorry, was just about to go to the bathroom," said Taylor with a straight face. She started walking away from Laura towards the bathroom without taking her eyes off of her. And just before she put her gaze away, Taylor smiled at her, not the innocent, sweet smile that Laura's used to. It was different. And as much as Laura wanted to ignore it, that smile was already etched in her brain.

-o-o-o-

It was almost midnight when Laura and Taylor decided to go to bed. No matter how much Laura insisted that she already felt better, Taylor was adamant that she should stay in case Laura got sick again. This time, the blonde stayed in Laura's guest room.

It had only been hours since Laura woke up which was why she couldn't sleep. All her senses were still very much awake so she just decided to grab a book and started reading. A few pages later, she knew she was just wasting her time because she couldn't understand a word of it.

Her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking of Taylor, of how much things have changed and how much they haven't. She was glad that their friendship wasn't affected and that Taylor didn't treat her differently.

However, that was also a problem, because she wasn't treating her any differently. She knew, from the very beginning, that this feeling of hers wasn't going anywhere. It was gonna stay just as that, a feeling... that wasn't going to be reciprocated. She thought that all she needed to do was just to stay away from Taylor, so she wouldn't be hurt as much. But that wasn't an option now. She couldn't just take Taylor out of her life, as Taylor wasn't doing the same thing to her.

Now she just had to find another way to deal with her love for her.

But then she remembered how Taylor was acting a while ago and it somehow confused her. She didn't know whether to feel good or bad. If Taylor was indeed flirting with her, was it supposed to be a good sign that there may be a chance for both of them?

Or what if she was just doing that to make her feel better? Taylor was kind-hearted and Laura knew that she would do anything not to hurt her. So she decided that it was not a good thing. She didn't want Taylor to humor her. She would rather have her hurt her with the truth, than make her hope for nothing.

-o-o-o-

It had been half an hour since Taylor went to bed but she was still up. She was just lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking. Whenever she would try to close her eyes, Laura's face would pop up. She thought of how seeing her friend so vulnerable a while ago made her feel. That fear that you get when you feel like you're about to lose someone, that's what she had. She was so scared, like she had never been before.

She also thought of how much she missed her during those times when she couldn't talk to her or see her. Of how much she's always looked forward to those days when she knew she was gonna see her. And how much she hated it when it was time for them to part ways. She thought of how Laura's smile made her feel better. Like it was a thing she wouldn't want to live without. She could also hear Laura's laugh in her ear. She had the best laugh in the world and it was always such a pleasant sound.

She tried recalling any other time she's felt like that towards another friend of hers, because she's always thought that that's how you're supposed to feel towards your friend, but she couldn't. And now that she's had time to think about it, she understood why. Because those feelings weren't made to be felt towards friends, they're for people who are way more than that.

-o-o-o-

Laura was about to put off her lamp when she heard a soft knock on her door. She looked at her clock and it was one a.m. She wondered why Taylor was still up as she made her way to the door. "Taylor?"

"Hey. Can I come in?"

"Of course!"

She went inside. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, I couldn't sleep. Why? Is everything okay?" Both did not feel the need to sit down.

"Yeah. I couldn't sleep, too."

"Oh." There were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence as both didn't know what to say next. "Uhm, wanna sleep with me?" Laura then realized what she said. "I mean, not in that way. I meant..."

"Laura." Taylor touched Laura's face causing the latter to be lost for words. "It's okay. I know what you meant," she smiled. They were staring at each other and for a moment, they held each other's gaze. "I just..." she cleared her throat. "I just have to do something."

"Do what?" asked Laura, still staring at Taylor's eyes.

"This."

Laura then saw Taylor's gaze go down a bit and she knew she was now looking at her lips. Then ever so slowly, she inched her face closer to her and Laura felt her own heart stop beating. They were now breathing the same air as Taylor stared back at her eyes. And before Laura could even blink, she felt Taylor's lips on hers.


	7. Chapter 7 - Finally!

**CHAPTER 7 – Finally!**

There had been numerous times when the two of them had kissed, but this time it was different. Aside from the fact that there were no cameras around and no 40 plus people watching them, this one sent shivers all over Laura's spine. Sensation shot through her, hot and sweet. It was a soft kiss, both of them trying to assess each other, waiting for the other one to respond.

They let go and stared at each other, neither spoke as they didn't need any words at that moment. All they needed was their bodies calling to each other through communication only they would understand.

Then, Taylor's head came forward as she again took Laura's mouth into hers. This time, there was no holding back. The kiss deepened, both of them wanting more. Laura felt an urge to whimper. Her hands went to Taylor's face and pulled her closer to her. Taylor then did the same but slowly caressed her hands way down to Laura's body, feeling every inch of her.

Laura's arms were around Taylor now, crushing the breath from her, and it wasn't enough. She heard the blonde moan into her mouth and that made Laura pull her body closer to hers. Her mouth was bruising her, her tongue filling her mouth, and again, it wasn't enough. They felt like there was a need to hurry, as if time was running after them. As if they were running out of it. Both had abandoned sanity and control. Taylor's hands raked at the fabric of Laura's shirt, furious with that barrier.

Then, as if alarms had gone off inside Laura's head, she tore her mouth from Taylor's, gripping her shoulders so hard it hurt.

"T-Taylor, don't." She was breathing so heavily, disappointment flooding through her veins. She didn't wanna stop but they had to.

"Wh-why? What's wrong?"

"Y-you can't... do this." Laura sat on the bed and avoided meeting Taylor's eyes.

"Do what?" Taylor didn't understand what went wrong. She knew Laura wanted it, wanted her. She could feel it. And Taylor wanted Laura, too. She could still taste her in her mouth.

"This! You can't just kiss me and whatever the hell that was just because... just because you want to make me feel better. I, uh, I appreciate the gesture but I don't want that. I don't NEED that. I can take care of myself."

"What are you talking about? You think I go around kissing people just to make them feel better? I'm going to ask you this question again and I hope this would be the last time that I do. What kind of person do you think I am?" Taylor chuckled.

Laura tried to smile but she couldn't. She couldn't find any reason to joke around when every part of her was screaming at her, wondering why she stopped what seemed like the best thing that's happened to her in weeks. "Stop it. I'm serious."

Taylor stopped smiling. "Laura, so am I. I'm not doing this just to make you feel better." She sat down on the bed, trying to catch Laura's eyes. "Don't you get it?"

"Get what?"

"Look at me."

Laura did.

"All those times that you were avoiding me, do you know how crazy that made me? Have you not counted the times I tried to call you or left a message on your machine? Haven't any of your friends told you how much I've bothered them just to know where you were or even just to bring a message to you?"

Laura did not speak nor think of the answers to her questions. Her brain was clouded and she couldn't think straight.

"Laura, I was miserable. Those few weeks that you weren't there, I thought I was gonna go insane. And I didn't immediately fully understand why. But now everything's clear to me." She paused and held both Laura's hands. "You just figured everything out first, babe."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

She lifted her other hand to touch Laura's face, and then she smiled. "Laura, I love you, too. I'm sorry that it took me this long to figure it out. But I do love you. I'm in-love with you, too."

"Y-you are?" Laura couldn't believe what she just heard. There was a part of her that was terrified to believe it and then just have reality take it away from her. But Taylor said those words to her, with their eyes locked together, with utmost sincerity. She replayed that part inside her head and this time she had no doubt. It was true. The woman she was in-love with loved her, too. Happiness filled her.

"I am," Taylor's eyes was starting to fill with tears. She had never been this happy and she knew that she never would be with any other person. The woman in front of her now was going to be the only reason for that. And she was also the one she would forever want to share that happiness with. "I love you so much." She said one more time as she kissed her again.

"God, you don't know how fucking happy I am right now, kid." She kissed her back.

"What, is that Alex talking or what?"

"Shut up and just kiss me."

They were no longer in a hurry. They had every time in the world to do just that.

-o-o-o-

Laura woke up feeling light and superb. She recalled everything that had happened last night and she couldn't help but smile. She and Taylor kissed and made out all night until they fell asleep in each other's arms. It had been the most wonderful feeling in the world and she didn't want it to end.

She looked beside her, and there was Taylor, still sleeping with her arms wrapped around Laura. Laura snuggled closer to her then kissed the tip of her nose. She stared at her beautiful face and realized that she'd be contented just staring at her face all day.

As if sensing that someone was staring at her, Taylor slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Laura, she beamed. She could wake up to this sight every day.

"Good morning, sunshine." This time, she kissed her on her lips, and then pulled back just far enough to look into her eyes.

"Good morning, babe," Taylor smiled. It was going to be a great day. "Did you get a good sleep?"

"The best." She gave her another kiss, a lingering one, and they started making out. "Can we just stay in bed all day and do this?" asked Laura.

Taylor then went on top of Laura and started kissing her on the side of her neck and nipped at it gently. This rewarded her with a soft moan from her girlfriend. Taylor's hand then glided downwards to her breast and began a gentle rotation over her sensitized nipple. She slowly put her hand inside Laura's blouse and caressed the sides of her breast as Laura arched herself a bit higher, wanting more.

"Yes, we definitely can," Taylor bit Laura's lower lip as the former entangled her hand on Taylor's hair, pulling her towards her. Laura then took one of Taylor's hands, and guided it towards the inside of her waistband. They both looked at each other, eyes filled with desire.

Then, the phone rang. At first they tried to ignore it, but when it didn't stop after the third ring, "Damn it. I have to go get that."

Taylor sprawled back at the bed, annoyed at whoever was calling.

"Hello?" It was evident in Laura's voice that she was annoyed, too. "Oh, Mom it's you!"

This caught Taylor's attention. She laid on her side as she watched Laura talk on phone.

"I'm still here in LA. I'm not sure when I'm going back to New York. Why?" She looked at Taylor and tweaked her cheek. "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Better, actually. Thanks to you, I guess." Laura listened to her mom, smiling. "As a matter of fact, we did. I'm with her right now. Wanna say hi?" Laura looked at Taylor and gave her the phone.

"Wait,what?" whispered Taylor.

"Mom wants to talk to you."

"But..." Taylor started panicking. "What would I tell her?" she was still whispering, afraid that Laura's mom would hear her.

"Babe, relax. She just wants to say hi," Laura chuckled at Taylor. She was too adorable for her own good.

Taylor took the phone and hit her lightly on her arm. "I'm gonna kill you."

"No, you won't. You love me."

"H-hello? Hi, Mrs. Prepon," Laura chuckled at this and Taylor glared at her. "Oh, right! Marjorie. Sorry. ... Yes! We're good. Thank you. ... Sure, I'll tell her. ... Okay, it was nice talking to you, too. ... Bye!"

"What, that's it? She's not gonna talk to me anymore?"

Taylor ignored her question as she started freaking out. "She wants to meet me."

"What?"

"She wants to meet me! Laura, what am I gonna do?" Laura laughed. "Stop laughing. This is not funny."

"Sorry," Laura tried to stifle her laugh. "You're cute when you freak out." She kissed her on the cheek. "She was just messing with you. It hasn't even been 24 hours since we started going out. I mean, we haven't even gone out, literally! Chill, babe. You don't need to meet her right away." She kissed her again.

"Are you sure? Isn't that gonna be rude or something?"

"No, you'll be fine. Trust me." Another kiss. She couldn't get enough of her. "Okay, let's go get something to eat. Or I'm gonna eat you instead," said Laura as she walked towards the door.

"I think I'd prefer that," answered Taylor, laughing as she followed Laura out.

-o-o-o-

"So? Wanna talk about it?" It was Laura. They were having breakfast, something she prepared to the delight of Taylor. It was obvious how much she loved her cooking skills.

"Talk about what?"

"This. Us. I mean, we both didn't exactly just wake up one day and realized we're lesbians, did we? It had to be some time long ago. We probably just missed it."

Taylor chuckled. "I don't know with you. But I was thinking about all these, and I kept thinking about that time in college. I had this best friend, who went out with a lesbian. We weren't really in speaking terms, this girlfriend of hers. But when they broke up, she, the lesbian I mean, started talking to me. She wasn't hitting on me or anything. She just wanted to be friends. And I liked it. It always excited me whenever she would call me and stuff. It never really occurred to me, though, that I was supposed to take that as a sign that there was something different in me. That I wasn't actually straight, after all," Taylor was shaking her head. How could she be realizing that just now?

"Wow, you had a crush on your best friend's ex-girlfriend?"

"Why? Are you jealous?" Taylor smirked.

"No. I don't get jealous," Laura chuckled. "Or we probably just are late bloomers," she added when she remembered what they were talking about in the first place.

"What are you trying to discover anyways? Logic behind this? We both know love doesn't give much crap about logic, does it? You have to stop trying to understand the reason why we fell in love, babe. Because it's not really something that needs to be understood. It's just supposed to be felt."

Laura thought about that and it made sense. She then smiled because she didn't need to look for an answer anymore. It was right in front of her. "You're right. Wow, I'm dating a genius."

"Well," Taylor shrugged then chuckled. She then noticed how Laura kept biting her lower lip. "And please stop doing that. You're distracting me."

"Doing what? This?" She bit her lip some more, more seductively this time.

"So, you wanna play games, huh?" Taylor accepted the challenge. She stood up and sat on Laura's lap, facing her. "You trying to play games with me, Prepon?" She drew her face closer to her until their lips were almost touching.

"I told you not to call me that." Laura's breath started to become slow, deep breaths. Her gaze kept shifting from Taylor's eyes to her lips.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Taylor just kept brushing her lips on Laura's, but not enough to call it a kiss and it was driving Laura crazy.

Laura didn't answer that. She lifted her hands instead and pulled Taylor's head on her. She kissed her, and it was a hungry one. "Bed. Now."

Taylor started kissing Laura all over her face. "I thought you were gonna do something?"

"Screw that. I'm gonna do you instead."

**A/N:**

**I suck at writing smuts, my apologies. Lol. Again, thanks for the reads and favourites and follows and reviews. You guys are awesome **


	8. Chapter8 - Jealousy Is A Dangerous Thing

**CHAPTER 8 – Jealousy Is A Dangerous Thing**

It had been four days since the last time Laura and Taylor went out of the former's house in LA. They almost spent their whole time in bed, exploring each other that they had memorized every part of their bodies, every scar, and every inch of them. They would only get up when they would use the bathroom or eat. But even then, they would still be together. They hadn't left each other's side longer than ten minutes but they never got tired of each other. If possible, they even wanted each other more.

When they ran out of food to cook, they just settled for food deliveries. At first they were okay with it. But Laura, a devoted healthy-eater, couldn't live with those kinds of food forever so they figured they had to leave the house soon enough.

"So, how's this gonna work? Do we act like we're still friends or we let the whole world know now?" asked Taylor. They were both getting ready to leave for some groceries. Taylor didn't wanna leave but Laura insisted.

"Depends."

"On?"

"Depends on whether I'll be able to keep my hands off you," said Laura. She pulled Taylor to her and gave her a lingering kiss that they had to grasp for air when she let go.

"Well, that seems reasonable," said Taylor, grinning.

"But seriously, maybe we should keep it low key for a while. Let's just go with separate cars so they wouldn't suspect anything?"

"Yeah, I think that would do."

As much as they both wanted to flaunt to the whole world their relationship, they needed to talk to their agents first to know how this might affect their careers. Sure, it probably would be a good thing, but they needed to make sure.

Laura then wore her beanie and started walking out of her door.

"Have I ever told you how cute you look in that thing?"

"I don't believe you have. Why? Do I look cute now?"

"As a matter of fact, you do. I might just sabotage your plans of leaving the house again." Taylor pulled Laura closer to her and put her forehead over hers as they rubbed their noses against each other's.

Laura chuckled. "No, na-uh. You won't. Come on, babe. If I keep eating those kinds of food, you know I'm gonna be sick."

Taylor slumped her shoulders like a kid deprived of a toy. "Fine, fine. Let's go then." She grabbed Laura's hand and left for her car. "But don't blame me if I have a slip! You're way too gorgeous today."

-o-o-o-

They were inside the grocery store and it was apparent that their disguises, a lame combination of beanie and shades, weren't fooling anyone because they were still getting a lot of stares from people around. They both decided not to catch any more attention by keeping their hands off each other. It was the first time in five days that they were attempting that so it was a real challenge for both of them.

"Laura?" a guy's voice said behind them.

Laura was surprised to see that it was Christopher Masterson, her former boyfriend of seven years. "Chris?"

"Hey! It's been a long time!" They hugged each other, very tightly where Taylor was concerned and it even lasted a bit longer than the usual hugs.

"I know! Where have you been? God, I haven't seen you in ages."

"I can say the same thing for you. My brother said you saw each other a couple of weeks ago?"

"Danny, yeah. We bumped into each other in New York. Talked for a bit but that was it."

The two kept conversing while Taylor stayed their looking at them, feeling invisible. She was annoyed that the guy didn't even acknowledge that she was there, more annoyed that Laura hadn't introduced her yet. She decided to take matters into her own hands by clearing her throat, quite loudly.

The guy looked at her and Laura seemed to suddenly remember that she was there.

"Oh! Right! This is Taylor, my... uh," she paused for a bit, "... my friend. We work together in this show, I don't know if you've seen it."

"Of course, of course! Taylor Schilling, right?"

Taylor nodded, not impressed that whoever this guy was knew her.

"Piper Chapman." He pointed at Taylor. "And, Alex Vause," at Laura this time. "Of course, I've seen that show. Who hasn't? You're both really good. It's a great show."

"Wow, thanks!" Laura was smiling so widely that Taylor wanted to smack her in the face.

"Yeah," Christopher just kept staring at Laura. "Anyways, I better get going. I have this thing I need to catch. Can I call you, though? Do you still have the same number?"

"I do! Yes, of course, you can call me. It was great seeing you again," She hugged him once more before he left. "Wow, I can't bel-"

She was about to talk to Taylor but when she looked where she was supposed to be standing, she wasn't there anymore. "Taylor?" She looked around and saw Taylor walking away from her. "Hey, wait up!" When she caught up to her, she grabbed her arm. "Hey, are we in a hurry or something?"

"No." Taylor kept walking without looking at Laura.

"Then why the rush?"

"Do you have your phone with you?"

"No. Why?"

"Then we better hurry, coz Chris might call you. You don't wanna miss that." Taylor fake smiled.

"What do you mean-" That's when Laura figured it out. "Ohhhhhh, I get it, your jeal-"

But Taylor walked away again.

Laura chuckled, finding Taylor too adorable. Their relationship felt more real than ever. Taylor was actually jealous.

She was about to follow her when two ladies, probably in their early 20's approached her.

"H-hi!" said the one with the blonde hair, somehow nervously. "Uhm, we are such big fans! May we ask for an autograph?"

"Uhh," she looked around to see if Taylor was there but she couldn't see her. As much as she wanted to get away from there to look for her girlfriend, Laura couldn't just ignore these fans. "Sure!" She smiled. They gave her a pen and paper, surprised that they had those with them inside the groceries.

"Thank you so much!" said the other one. She had black hair. "Uhm, I hope this isn't too much to ask but can we ask for a photo, too?"

"No problem! Let me get that," Laura took her phone and took a 'selfie' of the three of them. She tried looking for Taylor again, but she couldn't see her anymore.

"Thank you, you look really gorgeous," said the blonde one. "This is my girlfriend, by the way. She dyed her hair black so we can be just like Alex and Piper."

"Wow, that's amazing," answered Laura, still amazed by how much their show had affected people. "Uhm, thank you for the support, girls. I appreciate it. Anyways, I gotta run. Take care of each other, okay? And... stay away from drugs," she chuckled. "Bye!" As she walked away she could hear the two screaming behind her. She looked back at them, and they were on their way out doing what seemed to be their 'happy dance.'

She went around the grocery store to look for Taylor but she couldn't find her. So she just paid for everything they've bought so far and went out. When she reached the car park, she saw that Taylor's car wasn't there anymore. "Damn, I'm dead."

-o-o-o-

Laura arrived at home and was relieved to find Taylor's car there. On her way to her house, she was starting to think of the worst things that could happen. She knew Taylor when she wasn't in her nice mood, and she scared a lot of people, except for Laura. But things were different now. She probably should be the one to be scared the most.

"Taylor?" She shouted, not expecting an answer. She dropped her groceries and went straight to her room. There, she found Taylor lying on her side, with her back on her. "Babe?" She slowly walked towards her. She laid beside her and hugged her from behind, making Taylor her 'little spoon.'

Taylor didn't move.

Laura kissed the back of her girlfriend's neck. "I'm sorry. Please stop being mad." Laura silently thanked heavens that Taylor wasn't looking at her right now because she was grinning like crazy. She found it sweet that Taylor was jealous. "It's been over for us long, long time ago. He's just a friend. I'm in-love with someone way hotter now."

Taylor remained still but she, too, was now smiling. She liked it when Laura was this sweet to her. She already wanted to face her but she wanted to keep hearing Laura say these sweet nothings.

"I love you," as she snuggled even closer to Taylor. "I love you." She kissed her head. "I love you." She hugged her even tighter.

This time, Taylor faced her, trying to suppress her smile, albeit unsuccessfully. "You mean that?"

Laura's smile got wider showing all her teeth. She felt giddy. "I do. I love you." She kissed her and Taylor was only too happy to oblige.

"I love you, too."

"Yeah?" Taylor nodded. "Good! I'm sorry if I got you all jealous and stuff."

"I wasn't jealous," Taylor responded.

"Really?" Laura chuckled.

"Really." Taylor tried to act nonchalantly.

"Then what was that?" Laura was trying to keep herself from smiling but that proved to be too hard at this moment.

"Nothing. It was just annoying how he was acting like a total douche... or something."

Laura knew even Taylor didn't believe what she just said but chose not to say anything about it. "Okay," said Laura, not trying to hide her unconvinced tone.

"It's true! I wasn't being jealous."

"Yes, baby. You weren't. I believe you," said Laura, chuckling.

"No, you don't." Taylor pouted.

"I do, babe." Laura was laughing now. "Why are you so overly adorable?" She pulled her closer to her and glued her forehead on Taylor's.

"I don't know. It seems like a natural talent of mine," answered Taylor, shrugging, as she kissed Laura.

"Right. But you know what's NOT a natural talent of yours?"

"What?"

"Hiding your jealousy." Laura immediately stood up and headed for the door.

"Hey!" Taylor did the same as she heard Laura's laugh.

"Come on," Laura shouted from the stairs. "Let's go fix the groceries before Chris calls me."

"You are so dead!"


	9. Chapter 9 - Meet the Parent (Part 1)

**Chapter 9 – Meet the Parent (Part 1)**

It was two more days later when both decided to go back to New York. As much as they didn't want to leave their little love nest in LA, there were work waiting for them. There have been too many calls they have ignored and they both knew if they kept that up, people were gonna start thinking they were dead... or whatever crazy thought people thought these days.

It was the couple's first day apart and they got so used to being together that it wasn't easy for them to interact with people other than each other.

"Where are you?" It was Taylor. She was inside her room, reading another script that her agent had sent her. There were more than a couple of them by now and she planned on spending the whole day just reading those. She was also talking to Laura on phone.

"Home. I just finished working out. You?"

"Reading scripts. What, you're working out again?"

"What do you mean again? Babe, I haven't worked out in more than two weeks. I feel weak already."

"So, you mean to say, that those things we did in LA weren't enough work out for you?" She heard Laura chuckle on the other line. "I miss you already. I can't concentrate on these things. I wanna see you."

"I know, baby. Me, too. But if we keep seeing each other, you're gonna tire of me soon enough."

"You know that's not true."

Laura smiled. "You're right." She missed Taylor, too. She wasn't used to being this clingy in any of her past relationships. Taylor was turning out to be the exception to her usual rules. "Okay, what do you say I come to your place at dinner later tonight?"

"Yes! That would be amazing. But you know what would even be better? If you come right now."

Laura was happy to learn that she wasn't the only 'clingy' one in this relationship. "You know that I want to. But I can't, babe. I have this meeting with some people about shit I don't really care about. I don't wanna go, really. But I have to."

"Well, that's too bad, then. I was gonna prepare something special for you," said Taylor quite naughtily.

"Darn. I promise it'll be fast. I'll come right away."

"Oh, you definitely will."

-o-o-o-

It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon when Laura's meeting was finished. She decided to go home first before going to Taylor's. She needed to freshen up a bit. She was driving her car when her phone rang. She just let it ring. "Hey, you've reached me on a bad time. Just leave a message after the beep and I'll call you afterwards."

"Laura, honey." It was the familiar voice of her mom. "Call me as soon as you can. This is important."

Her mom usually didn't leave her a message when it wasn't really important. This freaked her out and wanted to call her mom right at that moment but she knew better than to drive and use her phone at the same time. So she just drove a little faster. She reached her place in less than ten minutes.

She immediately called her mom as soon as she had settled in. "Hey, Mom. What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"When are you coming here?"

"Why? Did something happen? What? You have to tell me I'm freaking out here!"

"What? What happened?" asked her mom who sounded confused.

"What?" Laura was also puzzled now. "You told me to call you as soon as I could because it's something important. You never leave me that kind of message because you know it would freak me out. What's going on?"

Marjorie laughed. "Oh, you're right, sorry. I forgot about that. Nothing happened, sweetheart. Everything's fine."

Laura let out a sigh of relief when she realized that everything was okay. "Thank God. What was that message about, then?"

"I just wanted to know when you and your girlfriend, Taylor, are coming over. It's been a week since we talked on phone and I'm not hearing any updates."

"What? That's it? God, Mom! You scared me, Jesus." Then what her mom told her sunk in. "Wait, what? You were serious about that? About wanting to meet her?"

"Yes! When have I ever been not serious?"

"Well, let's see. Uhm... every time? Come on, you really wanna meet her?"

"Why do you seem like you don't want me to? Is there something wrong about her that you don't want me to know about?"

"What? Of course not. She's perfect, okay? It's just that we've only been going out for a week. Don't you think it's a bit too early?"

"But I'm not meeting her just as your girlfriend, honey. You've known each other for three years now and I haven't even met her yet."

"That's not entirely true. You've seen her numerous times."

"Yeah, on what? Award shows? I wanna say more to her, a lot more than just hi and hello."

"That doesn't sound too good mom. Please don't scare her away."

Marjorie laughed. "Don't you trust me? I'm nice. I just really want to get to know her better, you know. And again, not just as your girlfriend... but as someone who's a part of your life."

With that, Laura couldn't say anything more. Taylor was gonna freak out.

-o-o-o-

She arrived at Taylor's place at exactly eight in the evening. Taylor wasn't too happy that it was a little late, for her own liking, but Laura made it up with a long, hot but sweet kiss. After that, Taylor didn't seem to remember that she was supposed to be fake-mad anymore.

"I prepared dinner! I know it's not as good as the ones you cook, but we're gonna be fine, I think. If you don't like it, we can just throw it out and order something else."

"Or I can just eat you for dinner."

"Or that, too," Taylor chuckled.

They sat on the table and started eating. They asked each other how their day went, and had the usual conversation until Taylor noticed that Laura was a little uneasy.

"Are you okay, baby? You don't like the food?" asked Taylor nervously.

"No, no. It's amazing, babe. I can eat this every day." And she was being honest with that. She was just finding it hard to concentrate on her food while thinking how to tell Taylor what she and her mom just talked about.

"Then what is it? You look like you're gonna start telling me something and then just stop."

"Well, okay. Since you already asked. Uhm... Remember that time in LA when mom called?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, we talked again before I came here. Turned out she was actually serious about wanting to meet you, I mean, get to know you better, as she phrased it."

"What?!" Taylor almost spit out her food.

"Yeah. I swear, I tried convincing her out of it. But my mom can be pretty persistent." When Taylor didn't say anything, Laura figured that she did not like the idea. "But I can cancel, you know. I mean, I can just tell her that—"

"Cancel?" Taylor cut her off. "No, you can't do that. That's rude. Let's do it!" She tried hiding the fact that she was totally freaked out by the thought of meeting Laura's mom, and probably her whole family, formally.

"You're freaked out, are you?"

"Totally. What do I do?" This time, she didn't need to hide anymore. "What if she doesn't like me or something? Gosh, Laura I'm dying here." She fanned herself as she felt like she was starting to sweat.

Laura laughed. "What, have you never met any of your former boyfriends' parents before?"

"No."

That stopped Laura from laughing. "Wow. Okay. Relax, it's not like it's gonna be a family gathering or something. You don't need to memorize Paradise By The Dashboard Light yet, if that's what scaring you," she joked.

"Oh, I have no problem with that. I've already memorized that."

"You have?" asked Laura incredulously. She wasn't expecting this.

"Yeah. Those times when you were ignoring me, I kind of started listening to it, almost the whole fucking time." Taylor shook her head at that thought. "As if that was gonna bring you back or something. I needed something to remind me of you, to make me feel like you were still there. Because I missed you so badly." She recalled that time and knew she didn't want that to happen again. "I didn't realize I had already memorized it until I heard it on the radio one time and I just started singing along," she chuckled.

Laura felt warmth spread across her chest. "Aw, babe. That's really sweet." She kissed Taylor on the cheek. She was touched that Taylor cared for her that much, even before they were a couple. "And I'm impressed!"

"I know. Turns out, you, ignoring me actually did bring something good in my life. But okay, back to business! Please tell me what to do."

-o-o-o-

Laura and Taylor were already parked in front of the former's house in New Jersey. Taylor kept asking Laura for last minute advices as if her life was depending on it.

"Are you sure? Would it be okay if I touch you in front of her?"

"Oh why, Schilling. Didn't know you had it in you. In front of my mom!" Laura laughed.

Instead of laughing with her, Taylor hit her in the arm. "Shut up! I'm serious, okay? I think I'm gonna barf."

Laura wanted to laugh at Taylor again but she knew it would just make her even more nervous, and probably pissed at her now, so she just kept it to herself.

"Babe, will you please relax? My mother's not going to interrogate you or something. We will just have lunch, and knowing mom, probably dinner, too, and have a normal conversation. And if you're worrying about my sisters and brother, they're as cool as my mom. The kids are even cooler."

Taylor could sense the tone of happiness in Laura's voice as she was talking about her family and it made her smile. And surprisingly, it even made her excited to meet all of them now. "All right, I'm ready. Let's do this!"

"That's my girl!" She kissed her. "So, let's go?"

"Let's go!"

So they went in, hand in hand. Laura was supposed to open the door when it opened on its own. Standing there was Laura's mom, Marjorie.

"I thought you weren't coming in!"

**A/N:**

**I wanna dedicate this chapter to xowithyouxo because of that wonderful message you left on my inbox! You're too sweet. Thanks again :"**


	10. Chapter 10 - Meet the Parent (Part 2)

**CHAPTER 10 – Meet the Parent (Part 2)**

So they went in, hand in hand. Laura was supposed to open the door when it opened on its own. Standing there was Laura's mom, Marjorie. "I thought you weren't coming in!"

"What? Why?" asked Laura.

Taylor was just standing there, not letting go of Laura's hand. She was afraid that if she did, her knees were gonna give up on her. She had never met a boyfriend's parent before so she didn't know if it was normal that she was feeling this nervous.

"You've been parked outside the house for god knows how long. Come in, come in!" Marjorie then looked at Taylor. "Taylor, dear. Good to see you again!" She enveloped Taylor in a warm embrace.

"Hi! It's great seeing you, too," Taylor finally spoke. With the warmness of Laura's mom, she felt a little more at ease.

They made their way to the living room. "Where's everyone?" asked Laura. Their home was so silent it was deafening. Whenever she would go home, almost her whole family was there, and they were always loud, so this was a surprise for her.

"They had other prior priorities they couldn't cancel. They feel bad that they were going to miss this, though." She then faced Taylor. "They said they're just gonna meet you some other time, Taylor. I'm sorry, I hope you understand."

"Oh no, there's no need for any apologies. It's okay, I totally understand." Taylor was actually quite relieved that it was only Laura's mom who was there. It would probably gonna be ten times more nerve-wracking if everyone else was there. She also wanted to meet them, of course. Some other time, maybe.

"All right then! I'm gonna go prepare our lunch. Laura, I've fixed your room. You are gonna spend the night here, yes?"

Taylor looked at Laura and the latter gave her an 'I-told-you-so' look. She shrugged and then looked back at Marjorie. "Yes. Yes we are." Good thing she followed Laura's instruction of bringing extra clothes instead this happened.

Marjorie clasped her hands together. "Good! Okay. So you go get settled. I'll fix the table."

-o-o-o-

They were inside Laura's room and Taylor kept looking around. "Wow. I really am inside your room."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "You've been in my room before. Both of them. You've also done things to me I'll never forget," she chuckled.

"Yeah, those things I'll probably won't do to you in here. I mean, this is where you stayed as a baby, toddler, as a kid! I can't even imagine how cute you must have been back then."

"Well, I think Mom's keeping all my photos from way back here somewhere. They have this habit of sending me my old photos whenever it was my birthday."

"Cool! I wanna see those things!" exclaimed Taylor.

Laura laughed at how excited Taylor was. "So, how are you so far? Scared of my mom still?"

Taylor looked up as if thinking. "Not as much as before. I'm still a bit nervous, though. I think I'm gonna feel a lot better after lunch.

"Laura! Taylor! Come on down, food's ready!" They heard Marjorie yell from downstairs.

"Well, that's not gonna be long then. Let's go." Laura held Taylor's hand as they made their way to the kitchen.

-o-o-o-

They reached the kitchen and Taylor was surprised by how much food Laura's mom prepared given that it was only gonna be the three of them eating. She sat down and was already hungry just by looking at everything on the table.

"Geez, mom. Did you think you were gonna meet the entire cast of Orange today? That's a lot of food!" exclaimed Laura as she sat down across Taylor.

"It's better to have more than enough than short." Laura's mom had taken her seat at the middle, too.

They all started eating, and all the time, Taylor kept praising every food served. Laura wasn't lying when she said that her mom cooked even better than her.

"Wow, these are really good. I actually told Laura I was gonna get fat if I let her cook my meal every day, but with you, I think I'm going to be way more enormous."

"I'm glad you like the food, sweetheart."

They talked about all sorts of things, about Taylor's family, Orange Is The New Black and all other things people normally talk about in a plain conversation. Taylor felt relieved that none of those made her uncomfortable. She thought Laura's mom was gonna question her about her daughter and the like. Thank goodness there wasn't any sign of that, so far.

Almost all the time, Laura just listened to her mom and Taylor talked. She was happy that they seemed to be getting along really well. Although she kept telling Taylor not to be nervous about this, she was actually very much freaked out, as well. She knew her mom was not one of those conventional moms and she wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. She's met all of Laura's former boyfriends but this time was different. Taylor was different.

After more than an hour, when all of them couldn't breathe because of too much eating, it seemed like the lunch had come to its end. "Laura, honey. Could you do the dishes please?"

"Sure, mom," answered Laura as she started gathering their plates.

"Come on, I'll help you," volunteered Taylor.

"Oh no, no, no. You're a visitor. You shouldn't be doing anything. Laura's gonna be fine. Come join me outside instead?"

Taylor wasn't expecting this. After eating, she thought that she's passed the hardest challenge of the day. She couldn't be any more wrong. She looked at Laura, pleading for help, but Laura just shrugged and nodded at her.

"Oh... uhm, okay." She again looked at Laura. This time, she was smiling at her, trying to tell her that everything was going to be fine through her eyes.

-o-o-o-

Taylor and Marjorie sat at the porch outside their house. Everything was so quiet and peaceful out there, unlike in New York and Los Angeles that Taylor started relaxing a lot faster than she expected. She missed the quiet life, a life where she can go through her day normally, without having to think whether the things she was gonna do was supposed to be done or not. She loved her life now, but sometimes, she just wished she had more peacefulness and privacy. But she knew that lack of those things came with the career she chose so who was she to complain?

"You okay, dear?"

Marjorie's voice brought Taylor back to where she really was now. With her girlfriend's mom. Alone. She felt anxious again. "Oh, yeah! I was just appreciating how peaceful it is here. I've never had this in a really long time, it kind of feels cathartic."

Marjorie smiled. "Well, when you live here long enough, soon you'll be clamouring for some noise. And, the whole family's not around. So enjoy this as much as you can, because the next time you'd be here, and they're here, too, you probably won't even know how it is like to be in a quiet place anymore."

Taylor laughed softly. It was so easy talking to Laura's mom. She thought of her mom and how sometimes it was hard talking to her and suddenly wished she was like Marjorie.

"So... how's it going with Laura so far?"

And the questions were starting to come, thought Taylor. "It's amazing. It's been the most amazing and wonderful time of life," she answered honestly. "I feel terrified just by thinking of how awful my life's gonna be without her in it."

"She loves you so much, you know? Well, you probably know more than I do," chuckled Marjorie. "But yeah. She does. I don't think I've ever seen her laugh that way in a long time." She was referring to their lunch and how Laura looked so happy. "Not that she wasn't happy. She was, of course. But it's way more evident now, and I'm pretty sure that's because of you."

Taylor beamed and couldn't find the right words to say what she was feeling at that moment.

"I'm not sure if you know this about Laura but she's never really been one who's very welcoming of changes. Except for her hair color, maybe. She's changed that way more than I can ever count. She looks good in whatever hair color, though, doesn't she?"

"She does. She looks gorgeous any other way."

"What I'm trying to say here is that, this relationship with you, it's very new to her. And I'm sure it is to you, too. But she won't stop being scared. I know she will never say this to you. Because telling you would mean admitting it to herself, too. And the fear would be more real than it already is if she did that."

"S-scared of what?"

"Scared of everything. Since this is all new, she might always wonder whether she's doing the right thing or not. Of whether she should've done this or that. And wondering what would've happened if she chose the other option instead. Laura's not afraid of taking risks when it comes to anything... except when it comes to her relationships. She likes to feel secured. Because when she chooses to be with someone, she usually wants that someone to be in there for the long haul, you know? I mean, who doesn't? Right?"

Taylor nodded, unsure of what to say... or feel.

"I'm not saying this to scare you away, Taylor. That's the last thing I'd ever wanna do. Because I can see that you make her happier than any other person she's ever been with. I'm telling you all of this because there might be days when you wouldn't understand why she's acting strange, if you didn't know this. I want you to understand her during those days, because I don't want her fear of millions of uncertainties to get in the way of her happiness. I hope this isn't asking for too much."

"No, definitely not. I'm actually happy that you told me this. She's the most important person in my life right now, and losing her because of something I didn't know would be unacceptable. And losing her is not an option that I'm willing to entertain. So, I'm gonna do everything I can to remove all of her fears away. I'm not saying I don't have those, too. Honestly, I'm scared, too. But I know that what we have right now is what I want. She is who I want... in my life. And I'm not gonna let anything in the way of that. So, thank you, for telling me. I really do appreciate it."

Marjorie held Taylor's hands. "Thank you. For coming into her life. Welcome to the family!" She said with so much sincerity as she pulled her for an embrace.

-o-o-o-

It had been one of Taylor's most peaceful days since she could remember and she hated that it was almost coming to an end. After the talk she had with Marjorie, she felt a lot more at ease and a lot happier. Laura tried asking her a lot about what she and her mom talked about but both of them had agreed of keeping that little conversation to themselves so Laura didn't get much of it.

Taylor spent the rest of the day getting to know Laura more. She had even asked Marjorie about looking at Laura's old photos. It was a good day.

At about ten in the evening, Marjorie had called it a night and so Taylor and Laura decided to go to bed, too.

"You're really not gonna tell me anything?" Laura attempted to ask one more time.

"Babe, I told you. It was just a normal conversation. She told me she noticed how uncomfortable I seemed around her so she talked to me about it thinking it would make me feel more at ease and somehow it worked."

Laura was still unconvinced but knowing her mom, she had probably convinced Taylor into not telling her anything so she just gave it up and decided to forget about it. "Fine."

Taylor cuddled up to Laura as she looked into her eyes. "I love you."

Laura smiled and kissed the tip of Taylor's nose. "I love you, too."

"And I love your mom," Taylor chuckled as she closed her eyes.

**A/N:**

**Sorry it took me so long to post this next update! Thank you for the reads and follows and reviews! **


	11. Chapter 11 - First Night Out

**CHAPTER 11 – First Night Out**

Taylor and Laura left Jersey the next day. Laura had dropped Taylor in her place first. "So, did you have a great time in my hometown?" asked Laura when they were both sitting at the couch.

"I did! Too bad that I couldn't meet the rest of your family, though."

"Yeah, but we have all the time in the world for that, babe."

"Yes, we do." She looked at Laura and imagined spending the rest of her life with her. It wasn't a bad idea. In fact, it was probably the best she's had in a long time. But she kept that to herself. "So, ready to meet my parents next?"

"What?" Laura exclaimed at Taylor with such a surprise look on her face that Taylor laughed so hard.

"What? You were always scolding me for having been so nervous about meeting your mom. Maybe it's time to return you the favor."

"We talked nothing about that!" Taylor kept laughing that Laura knew that she was just playing with her. "Stop it! I've only got a parent, you have both. It's unfair."

"So? That's not gonna be a problem. You can choose who you want to meet."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I was indeed, kidding. You're gonna have to meet both of them. Lucky for you, they're divorced. So it's not gonna be on the same time." Taylor was of course just messing with Laura. She hadn't even talked to her parents yet ever since she and Laura got together.

"Yeah, right. Lucky me," said Laura sarcastically as she stood up. "Anyways, I think I'm gonna have to go babe. I'll just see you again... whenever?"

Taylor stood, too. "Actually, I had something in mind..."

"What is it?"

"Do you have any plans tonight? I mean, with other people?"

"Well, I'm not seeing anybody else except you, if that's what you mean." She chuckled.

"Huh, you better not." She chuckled, too. "I meant with some of your friends."

"Oh that. No. No plans. Why?"

"I was thinking we could go out?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, go out! Literally, this time. We haven't gone out yet, like on a real date. I wanna do that tonight."

Laura was surprised but excited. "Oh, so you're asking me on a date," she smiled widely.

"Yeah, I think I am. So? Are you up for it?"

"Yes, of course. I'll see you tonight, then?"

"Yes." It was going to be an epic night.

-o-o-o-

Taylor spent the rest of her day planning her first 'date' with Laura. They've gone out a lot of times, albeit as friends, so she had to think how this one would be different... aside from the fact that they were now a couple.

Laura, on the other hand, went about her day trying to convince herself that she wasn't thinking at all about how her and Taylor's night was going to be. She failed at that, of course. It was all she could think about.

When she got home from Taylor's, she immediately called her girlfriend because she had just thought of one flaw of their plan: the public. They had already talked to their agents about whether it was okay to finally flaunt their relationship to the public and both of them were in agreement that the couple should stay mum about their relationship, for the meantime. They told them to save that for when their promotion for OITNB starts. It would help boost the publicity, they said.

Both Laura and Taylor didn't like the idea, though. It was as if they were gonna use their relationship to publicize their show and they didn't want that. It was way too special to be used just like that but they had no power over their agents on that. They understood the business they were in and it was maybe gonna help their careers, anyway. So they didn't have any choice but oblige.

They just decided to keep the date as casual as possible, something anyone wouldn't suspect to be anything more than a night out of two best friends. They also chose to use separate cars to go wherever Taylor was planning.

Their first stop was at Le Cirque. Taylor chose this place because it was a usual spot for celebrities. No one usually bothered them there and it was a great cozy place. Of course, the delectable food was a given.

After they've placed their orders, Laura noticed that Taylor was looking intently at her. "What?"

"You look gorgeous," Taylor said truthfully. "More than the usual." Laura was wearing a black, above-the-knee dress that showed her curves really well.

"Definitely not more gorgeous than you, babe." Laura said back. Taylor meanwhile was wearing a cream-colored dress, also above the knee and it also fit her body perfectly. "You look perfect." Laura extended her arms, which was placed on the table and lightly brushed her fingers on Taylor's. She badly wanted to hold her hand... she hated it that she couldn't.

Taylor felt giddy. She tried blocking out the other people around them and just concentrated on Laura. She made their table their own little world and even though the things they could do were limited, it was more than enough for her. Just looking at Laura, everything was more than enough... everything seemed perfect.

A few minutes later, they were both eating and having a conversation about almost everything. Suddenly, the waiter went near them with a bottle of red wine.

"Oh, we didn't order that," said Laura.

"Yes, that guy," and the waiter pointed to a guy just behind Laura, "wanted to give this to you." He was looking at Taylor.

Laura raised one eyebrow and looked behind her. The guy looked dapper enough. When he noticed that both of them were looking his way, he smiled. Laura looked back at Taylor who smiled back at the guy.

"Please tell him thanks," said Taylor. The waiter nodded and went near the guy. Just then, the guy started walking towards them. "Oh, he's coming."

"Hi," he said confidently, when her reached their table. He smiled at Laura then at Taylor.

"Hello," answered Taylor. Laura just smiled. "Thanks for the wine."

"You should try it. It's the best there is." Both the ladies just smiled. "Uhm, I'm not the type of guy who beats around the bush. I hope that you don't find me too forward but I can't help noticing how lovely you look with that dress." He was talking to Taylor.

At that time, Laura and Taylor was starting to feel awkward. Taylor looked at Laura and with the way she looked, the former knew that she was starting to get pissed. She was about to say something to the guy but he again spoke.

"I don't want to bother you ladies but I don't wanna pass on this opportunity to meet you. Will it be okay if I asked for your number so I can, maybe, ask you out some time?"

Laura's head was now bowed, so Taylor couldn't tell what she was feeling. She, on the other hand, was fighting the urge to laugh. "Uhm... I appreciate the gesture, really." Taylor said, choosing her words very wisely. "But... I'm taken. I'm sorry."

The guy looked genuinely disappointed but he still smiled. "Oh, no need for apologies. I just had to try. Or else I probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight," he joked. "I better keep going then. He's a lucky guy." Then he left, not just their table, but the restaurant.

When they were sure he had left, Taylor and Laura started laughing. "So tell me," Laura said in between her laughter, "did a guy just seriously ask my girlfriend to go out with him... in front of me?"

Taylor, too, was laughing uncontrollably. "Yes. It did really just happen."

"I am never gonna get used to this." Laura shook her head. "Is it weird? Do you find this weird? Us?"

"Weird? No. It's not. That guy's the weird one, not us. This is the most perfect thing in my life right now, I wouldn't call it weird. I'm sorry that happened, though."

"It's not your fault, babe. Plus, it's a great story we could tell people... when we already can."

"Right. Anyways, I love it when I hear you call me your girlfriend... Can you call me that again?" Taylor was blushing.

"What? My girlfriend?" Laura had that smile again, the one that always took Taylor's breath away. She looked around and when she saw that no one was paying attention to them, "I love you. And this is also the most perfect thing in my life right now."

"That's good to know. And... I love you more."

-o-o-o-

Laura thought that after dinner they were going to head home but was surprised to know that Taylor had another 'thing' planned for both of them. Taylor drove first and Laura followed. About 30 minutes later, Laura couldn't see any more of the usual New York lights and buildings. A few more minutes later, they were parking in front of what seemed like an abandoned building, and a really high one.

"What is this place?" asked Laura.

"You'll find out later." Taylor started going inside the building.

"Wait! Taylor, are you sure this is safe? What are we doing here anyways?"

"Yes babe. Trust me. We're headed to the rooftop." She extended her arm and waited for Laura to take it. When she did, they started walking together.

When they were inside, Laura was surprised to see that the building wasn't actually abandoned. It turned out to be a very old hotel. They went inside the elevator and after what felt like an eternity, they were where they were supposed to be.

It was one of the most amazing places Laura had ever seen. The rooftop was filled with lights it even looked better than the usual restaurants she'd visited. In addition, it was overlooking the whole city of New York. She could see every light there was and it felt like she was looking at a million stars, only closer. There were two seats placed at the middle, and a table with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses.

"Wow, this is place is beautiful, babe. Did you do all this?

Taylor nodded, smiling, happy that Laura liked what she's done with the place.

"It's perfect. How did you find this?" She sat. Taylor started pouring wine on the wine glasses. She gave one to her.

"It is, isn't it? I lived here once. I was young, my parents had just divorced, and I wanted to stay away from them as much as I could. And I found this. Everyone was nice to me and I was so happy here. Then I discovered this, the rooftop. I always went here whenever I was feeling bad and this view just took every horrible feeling I felt away. It used to be my happy place."

Laura was glad to know about that part of Taylor's life. She's never liked to talk about her parents that much but now she had let Laura in even just a little bit. "Used to be? What's it now?"

Taylor then looked at Laura. "Anywhere with you."

Laura smiled the leaned in for a kiss. It was short, but sweet. She pulled away and looked at Taylor. She had never fallen in love with anyone else before like she had with her now. She's once been in a relationship that she thought was gonna last forever, but the feeling she had for that guy back then, could not compare to the one she felt for Taylor now. She loved her way too much. It was scary, but she knew it was worth fighting for. "I'm glad I have you."

"Yeah. And don't worry, you're never going to lose me. I won't allow it."

Taylor had never brought anyone else to this place before. It felt somehow sacred to her, and bringing another person here felt like it would ruin that. She wanted it to be just 'hers.' The person who owned this building knew how much this place mattered to Taylor and so she had never allowed a single person to be here, as well. Laura was the first person she's brought here and that said more than Taylor ever could so much about how much she loved the person she's with now.

**A/N:**

**Who else went crazy about the release of OITNB Season 3's trailer? My heart really broke for Alex though =(**

**Anyway, really hoping to hear from you! Thank you **


	12. Chapter 12 - Flash Forwards

**Chapter 12 – Flash Forwards**

**December 24, 2014 Thursday**

"Yes babe, I'm on my way there right now." Laura was making her way to her car while talking to Taylor on phone. She was leaving for New Jersey today. She always looked forward to spending the holidays with her family. It's always the best time of her year.

"Ugh, I really want to go with you. Why couldn't you just bring me?" Taylor, on the other hand, was also getting ready to leave for her Mom's place. She was spending Christmas at her place then New Year's with her Dad.

"Because you have your family you should be spending the holidays with! I'm sure you don't wanna miss that." Laura was aware of Taylor's uneasiness with her family's set up when it came to these kinds of holidays. But still, she wanted her to spend time with them because she knew what her parents were probably gonna feel if she didn't.

"Oh, trust me, I do." She sighed. "So, when do I get to see you again?"

Laura could hint the sadness in her girlfriend's tone and felt bad about it. "After New Year's probably? We're going to celebrate all the nominations you've got these past few days, okay?" Awards season was just around the corner and Laura was ecstatic when she found out that Taylor was nominated for a SAG and a Golden Globe. She couldn't be prouder. "I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you. I promise."

**December 25, 2014 Thursday**

Indeed, Laura had the most incredible time during Christmas Eve. They had amazing food and she even did karaoke with her family. She hated singing but she had the best time.

She kept trying to call Taylor but she wouldn't pick up. She'd only answered one of her texts, and that was just a simple 'Merry Christmas!' She knew then that something had probably gone wrong with Taylor's Christmas and she was worried.

"What's wrong, Laura? You're making your niece dizzy with all that pacing back and forth that you're doing."

"I'm sorry. Could you take her for a minute, Mom? I'm gonna try calling Taylor again, see if she's okay."

"Why don't you just go see her?" asked her mom as she took her granddaughter.

"What? But it's Christmas."

"Exactly. And you told me how hers is at her family's. We never know if something went wrong. And we'll never know unless you see her. Maybe she needs to be with you today."

"Have you just kicked me out of your house?"

"Yeah, I think I just did."

-o-o-o-

Laura decided to drop by her New York home first. Taylor was still not answering her calls or texts so she figured she'd visit her house in New York before leaving for her Mom's. When she went inside her bedroom, she was surprised because someone was lying on her bed.

"Taylor? What are you doing here?"

Taylor immediately stood as she heard Laura's voice. "Laura? What are you doing here?"

Laura chuckled as she pulled Taylor into an embrace. "I think I live here. You? I thought you were at your Mom's?"

That's when Taylor's smile was replaced by an annoyed, somewhat sad look. "I didn't go. Dad asked if I could just spend the Christmas with him because he had other plans for New Year. But Mom said she had other plans, too, so I can't spend that time with her. See how they're trying to push me to each other? Fuck it, it's not like I was so excited to spend the holidays with them anyway."

"Aww, I'm sorry, baby. So you spent your Christmas Eve where?"

"Here, at your place. I slept a lot. It was great."

"I'm so sorry. Come here," she hugged her so tightly because she felt bad that she didn't just let her come with her to Jersey. "Why didn't you just call me? I could've just picked you up."

"I didn't wanna bother you with any of my family bullshit because I know how much you love this day. I didn't wanna ruin it for you."

"No. It would've been a whole lot better if you were there. Promise me that if something like this happened again, you would call me?"

"Okay," Taylor smiled. She felt a hundred times better now that Laura's here with her. "I'm glad you're here now."

"Good! Anyway..." Laura got her bag and pulled out a small present then gave it to Taylor. "Merry Christmas!"

"Oh no, I haven't gotten you anything yet. I thought we weren't gonna see each other in a while," Taylor started feeling bad again.

"It's okay, babe. Come on, open it," Laura said excitedly.

Taylor opened it. It was a beautiful gold necklace with a little heart with a 'T' carved in it. "Aww, babe it's beautiful. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas!" And she hugged her one more time.

**January 1, 2015 Thursday**

New Year's for Taylor was a million times better than her Christmas. She spent the holiday with the Prepons and saying it was a blast was an understatement. She's never had that much fun during New Year's all her life. She's finally met everyone in Laura's family and had even joined in when they did their family theme song, Paradise By The Dashboard Light. It was her best New Year ever.

Laura was so happy that Taylor had spent celebrating the New Year with them. She could see how much this had made her girlfriend happy and vowed that this wouldn't be the only time they were gonna do this. It was only the beginning.

It had been the most wonderful first day of the year for both of them and the couple hoped that this was a sign that this whole year was gonna be good to them.

**February 14, 2015 Saturday**

Taylor loved Valentine's Day so much. She loved the feel of this day, as if each and every person she could meet exuded the aura of happiness and love. Everyone was particularly nicer and a lot more pleasant. So she was devastated when Laura told her how lame this day was.

She thought that they were gonna spend this whole day together, in a nice restaurant, have lunch or dinner, whatever Laura preferred. She thought they were gonna stay at home afterwards, watch movies all day or make love all day. She preferred the latter, of course. But no, that wasn't happening. Because Laura couldn't be convinced that this day was worth celebrating. So she was stuck in her place, annoyed at Laura, for being such a kill joy on the day of love.

Laura used to hate all the fuzz people gave about Valentine's Day. She's never found anything extraordinary about the day except that people seemed to make such a big deal out of it. Even if she had a boyfriend at this time of the year for some of the past years, she's never really cared much about this day. Until now.

She's just recently found out how much Taylor loved this day. She had convinced her how much she had hated it, though. Her girlfriend thought that they weren't gonna do anything special today. She wouldn't even pick up her phone when she tried calling her. She found her adorable when she acted like a kid who couldn't play with her toy.

So, after she's prepared lunch, which she made extra special today, she drove her car on her way to Taylor's. When she reached her place, Taylor refused to talk to her at first. But when she told her to go get dressed because they were going somewhere, Taylor had smiled and changed excitedly.

At first, Taylor thought they were going to some restaurant to eat but was surprised that they were actually headed to Laura's place. They went inside Laura's bedroom and she was even more surprised with what she saw.

Laura had placed petals of roses everywhere. On the bed, there were also petals of roses which spelled out 'I,' a heart shape, and 'U.' At the center of the room was a small rounded table and placed on it where the food prepared by Laura herself, which looked totally good, no surprises for Taylor there, and two glasses of wine. The whole place looked romantic.

"This is the first time that I'm doing this so I hope this isn't less than enough... or too much," said Laura.

But Taylor didn't answer. Instead, she hugged Laura tightly then pulled her for a kiss until they were both in bed, out of breath. The lunch could wait. She wanted Laura now.

**March 7, 2015 Saturday**

Laura told Taylor that she wasn't planning anything big this year, that she just wanted to spend her birthday with her. So Taylor could really see how disappointed her girlfriend was when she told her that she wasn't going to be in town on that day.

That was, of course, just a lie. She had planned the whole thing with Laura's best friend, Jodi. Taylor made Jodi convince Laura that they just spend her day playing poker at Jodi's place and she didn't fail. They stayed there with some more of their other friends while Taylor prepared Laura's house for the surprise party that she had planned for her.

At about five in the afternoon, the whole place was set up and people had started coming in. Taylor had invited almost everyone in Laura's life. Her whole family was there, her former cast mates from That 70's Show, October Road and Are You There Chelsea were there, the whole Orange Is The New Black cast and crew were there, each and every one of her friends were there. It definitely wasn't a small party.

It was exactly 6:00pm when Laura arrived. She opened her door and everything seemed normal at first, but then the lights opened, and bam! Almost everyone she knew in her life was right in front of her.

"Surprise!"

Then she saw the biggest surprise of the day, her girlfriend, making her way towards her, holding a cake while everyone was singing 'Happy Birthday.'

"I thought you were out of town today?"

"I can't believe you bought that. Happy birthday, baby. Make a wish."

Laura closed her eyes and made her wish silently, _"I wish that this woman in front of me right now, this woman that I love so much, will be with me for the rest of my life."_

-o-o-o-

Laura's party was over and everyone had left except for Taylor. They were on her bed, eating some cake. "So, did you like your party?"

"Very much! I can't believe you've convinced all of them to come. Especially those who I haven't even talked to in years. You're awesome."

"I've had help. You don't think I could do all of this alone, do you?"

"Don't lie to me. Jodi told me that you did everything. Thank you so much, babe... for doing that for me. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Laura kissed her. "That was probably the best party I've ever had my whole life," she said.

"Oh, already? But the party's not yet over," said Taylor as she put down her and Laura's plates on the bedside table.

"It's not?" asked Laura, surprised.

"Na-uh," answered Taylor as she started removing her clothes.

As Laura watched Taylor strip, she couldn't help but think that she didn't only have the best birthday ever. She also had the best girlfriend in the world.

**A/N:**

**So, not much dialogue here. And nothing much really happens. Sorry if this isn't a great chapter. Lol.**

**Thank you for those who have favorited and followed this story. Also to xunconsciousx and mielsita for the reviews! Keep'em coming. Lol. =)**


	13. Chapter 13 - Back in Litchfield

**Chapter 13 – Back in Litchfield**

It had been four months ever since Taylor and Laura started going out. Things were still going as smoothly as they could get for them. Of course, there were numerous times when they had fought. But those fights were only just about petty things that they would eventually kiss and make up.

They had gone back to work when they started doing promotions for the third season of their show and they had found a way to informally announce that they were now a couple in real life by deciding to go out one time, hand in hand, finally flaunting their affection for each other. Most of the public accepted this warmly. A lot had expressed how much they had been waiting for this to happen ever since first season. Some, unsurprisingly, pegged this relationship as a fake one, accusing both the actresses of using it as a publicity for their show.

The couple of course did not care at all what people thought. They were just happy that they did not need to hide from anybody anymore, that they were free to show people how much they loved each other. This had even helped their relationship become stronger.

-o-o-o-

After a few months of break, Taylor and Laura were back on the set of Orange Is The New Black. They weren't too happy that they were back in that horrible abandoned psychiatric ward, though. But everyone was excited to see each other and so everyone was still happy to be back, in spite of the setting itself. There were few, though, who weren't back for the fourth season and it was sad because they were going to miss them. But there were also additions to the show so it was still all good.

Today, they were shooting a scene at the cafeteria so Taylor, Laura, Yael, Natasha, Uzo and the rest of the cast were all there. Taylor and Laura were having their makeup done when Natasha and Yael went near them.

"Hey, you two." It was Yael. "Going strong?"

Taylor and Laura looked at each other. "I guess," Laura answered.

"You guess? Really?" asked Taylor incredulously.

"Shit! Wrong answer, Prepon," joked Natasha. They all laughed.

They were all having an animated conversation when Ruby Rose, went near Taylor. She said hi to everyone for about a second. "Hey Taylor, can I borrow you for a minute? I just have something to tell you."

At this point, Laura's eyebrow shot up. She saw Ruby Rose take Taylor's hand, enclose it with her own, and drag her all the way across the room. "What just happened?" She asked Yael and Natasha. "She couldn't say what she was supposed to tell her in front of us?"

Yael and Tash just shrugged at Laura, and looked at her, amused by her reaction.

"And she couldn't even acknowledge that I was here, the girlfriend? I mean, how hard was it to say, 'Hi Laura! May I borrow your girlfriend for a while?'" she asked in an annoyed tone.

Again, Yael and Natasha didn't speak but just laughed at Laura. They both knew that Laura had always been aloof with Ruby Rose and it seemed like that feeling was gonna be more intense now.

Laura watched Taylor and Ruby Rose across the room and got even more annoyed when she saw both of them laughing, looking like they were having so much fun. At one point she even saw their hot lesbian co-star's hand on Taylor's thigh. If she wasn't being prepped up for her upcoming scene, she would've stormed towards the two of them and dragged Taylor away.

After her hair and makeup were done, which wasn't long before there wasn't so much that needed to be done anyway, she was a lot calmer so she decided to approach the two of them.

"Hey," Ruby and Taylor looked at her but she was talking to the former more. "May I borrow my girlfriend for a while? I'm just gonna need someone to practice my lines with." She didn't know if they noticed, but she stressed the word 'girlfriend' more than it was supposed to be.

"Ahhh, sure. Go on," answered Ruby Rose, then she looked at Taylor. "Later?" she asked, with a big grin on her face.

"Yeah, yeah," answered Taylor, still laughing.

When both Laura and Taylor were far enough from Ruby Rose, Laura just sat there, still with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Where's your script? I thought we were gonna read lines?"

"Changed my mind," answered Laura without looking at her.

Taylor just looked at Laura and saw her looking at Ruby Rose. She tried to repress her smile when she realized what was truly going on. She went in front of Laura and levelled her face with her.

"Babe. Ruby Rose is with someone. And I'm with you. And I love you. And you're too adorable getting all jealous," this time she was smiling.

"I'm not jealous," denied Laura, still wearing that bitch face of hers.

"Oh, okay then." Taylor shrugged. "So, uhm, since you told me you've changed your mind about wanting to read lines with me, can I go back there and talk to her again?" She was wearing a toothless grin.

"If you take that ass back in there, I am ignoring you for a week."

Taylor had now let out her laugh and lifted her hands up in surrender. "I was kidding." She pulled Laura for a kiss. "I love you, babe. You're too cute."

"Am I not supposed to be the hot one?" asked Laura, who was now smiling and had obviously started lightening up.

-o-o-o-

It was Saturday morning, and Taylor was at home reading her script for the next episode of OITNB when her phone rang. She answered the phone thinking it was going to be one of the usual phone calls she got. "Hello?"

"Hi, Taylor?"

Taylor froze at the sound of the voice on the other end of the line. She had not heard that voice in almost five years and of all those five years, she never thought she would hear that voice again.

"Hey, are you there?" said the voice again.

"Taylor racked her brain searching for the right words to say. Maybe she was mistaken, though. Maybe this wasn't what she thought it was. "Y-yeah. Who is this?"

"It's Pete. I hope you still remember me?" He gave out a nervous laugh.

That's when Taylor felt something inside her chest, thumping so violently.

Taylor was right.

He was back in her life.

-o-o-o-

It had been four days since the phone call and Taylor hadn't heard from him again ever since but she still couldn't shake off the feeling that it wasn't going to be the last time in another five years that she would hear from him again. It was irritating her how every ring of her phone made her tense, afraid to find out who was calling, giving out a sigh of relief when the caller would turn out to be another person.

Laura didn't fail to notice that her girlfriend was acting strangely. And she was worried.

They were on the set of Orange, having a short break when Laura decided to ask Taylor what was going on. "Hey, you've been acting strange lately. Is everything all right?"

"What?" Taylor's mind had drifted so far away that she was surprised at the sound of Laura's voice. For a moment she thought she was alone.

Laura noticed how Taylor twitched when she spoke. "Hey, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. What's going on, babe?"

Taylor wondered whether it was right to tell Laura about him. The moment the call was over, her first instinct was to call Laura, be honest with her and tell her everything there was to tell. But there was something that stopped her, and was still stopping her, and she didn't know what. Because of that, she decided not to tell her just yet.

"Nothing. Everything's fine," she showed her the best smile she can put on.

But Laura couldn't be fooled. "Come one. Every time your phone rings, it's like your whole expression changes as if something terrible is about to happen. And you have been restless for the last few days."

"Wow, I didn't know you can be pretty observant," Taylor tried to laugh hoping Laura would join in but she just stared at her, waiting for an answer. "I promise, nothing's wrong, okay? It's just that my Dad, uh, called me a few days ago... and he asked me to... you know, do something which I don't wanna do. I just know he wouldn't stop until I say yes, so there." She knew her excuse was so lame even she almost cringed at it.

Laura nodded although she knew that Taylor was lying. It made her uncomfortable because this was the first time that she had caught Taylor lie to her. Something was wrong. She knew it.

-o-o-o-

Taylor had been trying to sleep for hours now but all she had achieved was think of another lie if Laura asked her about this again. She knew that Laura didn't believe her earlier and it was only a matter of time before she asked her again. She didn't want this to be a problem between them. She wouldn't allow someone who had been out of her life for years now to be the one to ruin what she had with her girlfriend.

She closed her eyes as her mind went back to the conversation she had with Pete a few days ago.

_"It's Pete. I hope you still remember me?"_

_"P-pete?" she asked even though she only knew one Pete._

_"Peter Sullivan."_

_"O-oh right. How did you know... I mean, why did you call?"_

_Taylor knew that it was a rude thing to ask but she was just so surprised with this unexpected call that she had forgotten even her manners._

_"Sorry. Is this a bad time? I can just call another time if you want."_

_"No, no. It's not a bad time. I'm just... surprised. I mean, I haven't heard from you in a really long time."_

_He let out a sigh. "Right. Uhm, I was just hoping we could talk."_

_"Well, that's what we are kind of doing right now, I think."_

_Pete chuckled. Taylor wasn't joking, though. "I mean in person. I'd really like to see you again if it's okay."_

_Every part of Taylor's body wanted to shout at him, to say that it wasn't okay... that there was no chance she would let him see her again. He's had that chance five years ago but he did not take it. He's lost that chance forever._

_That's why Taylor felt betrayed by her own mind and her own lips when she realized what she just gave him for an answer. "Yeah, I don't think it'll be a problem. Just give me a call whenever. I gotta go. I have this thing..."_

_"Right," he sounded a lot happier now. "I will. Thank you. I can't wait to see you."_

_ "Yeah. Bye."_

_Taylor took a deep breath and almost hit her head with the phone. "What the fuck did I just do?"_

Taylor wanted to hit herself again as she remembered that conversation. She was regretting it now. She shouldn't have said yes. She hadn't thought about this for a long time that's why she thought that there wasn't going to be any problem anymore. But thinking about it now, what if seeing him in person would make her realize what she really was supposed to feel? She hadn't allowed herself to properly deal with this when it happened. How was she going to react now?

It was all going so wrong. She had to tell Laura. She deserved to know.

**A/N:**

**Thanks again for following this story and for the favourites! I feel so loved! Also, thanks for the reviews. Much love. Xo.**


	14. Chapter 14 - Elle Magazine

**Chapter 14 – Elle Magazine**

**A/N:**

**First of, I would like to apologize for my little cliff-hanger last chapter. And again, another apology for this chapter because this is somehow not a continuation of the last chapter (because I like to torture people like that, lol). I've just imagined Laura talking about Taylor like this a million times, and I wanted to put it in here.**

**If people told me to write an article, it would probably turn into a really crappy one so forgive me for this made-up article/interview about Laura and Taylor because I kind of think it sucks. Lol.**

**The next chapter would pick up from Chapter 13 so please watch out for it. Have a great time reading!**

_It was a Saturday morning when I arrived at Laura Prepon's house, and she greeted me with a warm welcome with her big grin that reached her eyes. She was wearing a loose white v-neck shirt and black sweatpants that didn't reach her ankles. She offered me something to eat, cooked by no one but herself and we propped ourselves on her couch, somehow a little too comfortably on my part._

"_So, what are we going to talk about today?" she asked excitedly._

_We were going to talk about Orange Is The New Black (OITNB), a show which had mended a lot of stereotypical television shows we have right now. After the long wait for Season 3, it's now streaming on Netflix all over the world. And it's continuing to be even more successful than it already is._

_Prepon looked glowing, and I didn't fail to mention that to her. "Aww, thank you. It's probably the long rest I got from my break."_

_But it was obvious that it was more than just that._

_Prepon, who played the hot drug-smuggling lesbian, Alex Vause, on the hugely successful show, sometimes had that vibe of being serious and preferred keeping to herself, but this day was different. She looked very welcoming, smiling and laughing the whole time we were talking, and I couldn't help but attribute it to the fact that she's with someone really special right now._

"_Not your girlfriend?"_

_That girlfriend is, of course, Taylor Schilling, one of her co-stars and the lead of their show, for those who have been living under a rock for the past few weeks. She wasn't around when I got there but her presence was very much felt because of numerous photos of the two of them displayed around Prepon's house._

_She beamed at the mention of her girl, and I got my answer even before she opened her mouth._

"_Well, she's a big part of it."_

"_Just a part?"_

"_Well, yeah, I guess. I mean, you don't expect me to depend all my happiness on one person, do you? There's her, there's my family, friends, the fans, our show... there's just so many things in the world that can make someone happy."_

_When I said that that may be true, she just smiled and it was evident that she wasn't going to go any further than that so I asked if could finally start with the proper interview._

"_Oh, we haven't started yet?" she asked, chuckling. "Okay then, ask away!"_

_Oh hey, she offered. Might as well take it._

_**ELLE**__: So, how does it feel like to be back on the set of your show?_

_**Prepon**__: It's amazing, girl. I mean, it's like going back home, you know. When we had our break, there was a part of me that said, "Finally!" coz at one point, you kind of crave for a day or a week to yourself, you know, without having to work and stuff. But then I didn't realize how much I missed it and especially the whole cast and crew, until I was back._

_**ELLE**__: How different do you think this season is going to be from Season 3, which I believe is streaming now?_

_**Prepon**__: Oh, yes it already is streaming. And the difference, I think is going even deeper on the inmates' lives. I mean, yeah that's always the case whenever we have a new season, but you get a sense of being too attached to these characters that you never get enough of them and that you want to know more. And that's, I think, what we're gonna give the audience. And of course, a lot more sex. That's always the question I get. (chuckles)_

_**ELLE**__: For Alex and Piper?_

_**Prepon**__: For everyone!_

_**ELLE**__: Any spoilers you can give us?_

_**Prepon**__: Ohh, I'd get in trouble for that, girl. And even if I wouldn't, I couldn't tell you anything anyway. We just started filming._

_**ELLE**__: When you first officially showed the whole world that you and Taylor were already dating, there were a lot of comments from people. There were some who were so happy, I think they've been waiting for this to happen in a really long time. But there were also some who thought that this was just a publicity stunt for your show._

_**Prepon**__: Yeah, that's actually funny because the show has been doing so great even before Taylor and I got together. And our show can stand on its own. I mean, it's just so great already that I don't think it needs any more publicity than it already gets. People can say whatever they want to, they're entitled to it. As long as Taylor and I are happy, I don't think that really matters._

_**ELLE**__: Some fans can be really intense, some had predicted this before you have even been together. And now that you are, some people are asking you to get married already. Don't you get pressured?_

_**Prepon**__: Oh, believe me, girl, the pressure is scary. I mean, there was one time, Taylor came to my place and asked me, "Hey, someone told me you were proposing to me today." And that seriously freaked the hell out of me. I mean, I knew it wasn't true. Taylor had a good laugh at me that day._

_**ELLE**__: I'm assuming that didn't happen again?_

_**Prepon**__: Oh, yes. She knows better now. (laughs)_

_**ELLE**__: How did your co-stars react when they found out about you two?_

_**Prepon**__: They were very happy, surprisingly. Taylor and I thought it was just the fans rooting for us, turned out they did, too. They're really supportive. It's awesome._

_**ELLE**__: Well, you've been very clear before that you're straight. How did you realize that you've fallen for someone with the same sex?_

_**Prepon**__: Sometimes, there are things we think we know about ourselves that turn out to be wrong. I just figured it out._

_**ELLE**__: Was that hard to accept?_

_**Prepon**__: What? The fact that I didn't know my own self? (chuckles) Yes, it was. I mean, how could you easily accept something like that? But I eventually had to get over my sh*t. I'm in love with the greatest woman in the world, and I wasn't going to throw that away just because I was pissed at myself for being so slow to figure out who I really am._

_**ELLE**__: How was it for Taylor, on the other hand?_

_**Prepon**__: Honestly, I think it was easier for her. I had a lot of questions about it, but she didn't. I'm grateful for that, because she really calmed me down. _

_**ELLE**__: You must be really lucky to have each other._

_**Prepon**__: Yes. But I'm definitely luckier. Have you seen the girl? She's gorgeous!_

_**ELLE**__: You are gorgeous, too. I mean you are the Channing Tatum of the lesbian world, according to everyone._

_**Prepon**__: Good gosh, I wouldn't go that far. (chuckles) But thank you, to whoever said that._

_**ELLE**__: Where is she anyway? I don't see her around._

_**Prepon**__: Well, we don't live together yet, that's why you don't see her. (chuckles)_

_**ELLE**__: Oh you said yet, we all know what that means._

_**Prepon**__: Oh come on, you know what I mean._

_**ELLE**__: So, how did your relationship affect your relationship as actors? Did it make it easier?_

_**Prepon**__: Yes, in a lot of ways. I mean, whenever Alex would look at Piper with so much love, and vice versa, there's really no need to act anymore. It's there, the way that they look at each other, that's the way I'd want us to look at each other until whenever, you know. Except during those times when they'd want to kill each other._

_**ELLE**__: Well, that's gotta be hard then? Alex and Piper wanting to strangle each other?_

_**Prepon**__: We haven't had a scene like that so far, so I can't tell._

_**ELLE**__: How do you think it's gonna be, though? If ever?_

_**Prepon**__: I don't know, but I don't think it's gonna be hard. Coz when we're on set, we do everything to put ourselves in the shoes of Alex and Piper. If we don't then we're gonna have big problems._

_**ELLE**__: If you had the power to dictate how Alex and Piper are gonna end up, how would you like it to be?_

_**Prepon**__: Hopefully, they have a happy ending. I mean, who doesn't want that? These two had gone through so many things now, a lot of bullsh*t, but at the end of the day, they still really love each other, genuinely. I hope that after everything that's happened to them, they finally, you know, get the happy ending they deserve. But Jenji calls the shot, she gets to decide. (laughs)_

_**ELLE**__: How about you and Taylor? Same thing, I'm guessing? How do you see yourselves in the future?_

_**Prepon**__: Girl, we're taking things slowly at the time, so no pressure. Please. I don't want to freak anyone out._

_**ELLE**__: But you see yourself spending the rest of your life with her?_

_**Prepon**__: That's no pressure? (laughs) I mean, of course, yeah. When you're with someone really special, you always hope for the best. Wait a minute, we're here to talk about Orange, right?_

_**ELLE**__: Yes, and you two are both part of the show. Don't blame me. (She smiled at this.) Plus, this is the third time around you're answering questions about your show, you don't think you want some more new questions?_

_**PREPON**__: I think I prefer the old questions._

_**ELLE**__: Okay, how about this then? How can you compare your relationship with Taylor to that of Alex and Piper's?_

_**Prepon**__: That's a really sneaky question, girl. It's kind of hard to compare. Alex and Piper's relationship is so complex. There's a lot that go on between them. It's not your typical relationship, and it takes such a strong, deep love for one person to be able to still keep the relationship going with that kind of complexity. With Taylor and I, we're just two people who started as friends, fell in love, and that's it. No complications whatsoever._

_**ELLE**__: But I'm assuming you have the same kind of intensity, your love for each other?_

_**Prepon**__: I don't know, girl. Can we move on to the next question please? I'm sorry. (Evidently, she wasn't comfortable talking about her personal life, but she was a good sport enough to answer them anyway.) But, okay. I'll tell you this. What Taylor and I have right now, it's one of the best I have in years. It's awesome. I mean, to be with a person you love, who, let me add, is someone really amazing, compassionate and kind, and for that person to love you the same way, that's gotta be something, right? It's very special. And I'm hoping to keep it as private as I can get. I mean, that's impossible, I know. But if there's anything I can do to lessen it a bit, I'd grab that chance._

_**ELLE**__: All right then, no more questions. Just invite everyone to start watching your show if they still haven't._

_**Prepon**__: Thank you, girl. And to everyone who hasn't still watched Orange Is The New Black, please do. It's even more amazing now and I'm sure you're really gonna love it. And for those who have started watching the third season, please don't spoil anyone coz you're gonna have a bad time if you do._

_**ELLE**__: Thank you, Laura. I had a great time. I just want you to know, though, that I can see a lot of people are so happy for you both and I hope this is forever for the both of you. You look really good together._

_**Prepon**__: Thank you. The chemistry's working, I guess._

_And indeed it was. Because if every person in love looked as good as Laura does now, I'd probably start looking for my own Taylor Schilling right away._

**A/N:**

**moanzs, hopefully you can still wait until the next chapter lol. Sorry! =)**

**guest (who mentioned about Taylor being full-time lesbian), i don't wanna comment on that haha. That 'paty' thing was funny tho =D**

**FFChik, yeah she really does!**

**Guest (who already hates Pete), Thank you! You'll know him soon enough =)**

**stargatejumper10, i'd like to see that happen lol**

**Guest (wondering about Pete), you'll know him soon! Thank you!**

**lookingforflowers, your review made my day! But just knowing some people are reading this is good enough for me. Thank you so much!**

**Thanks for the reviews! For those who favorited and gave this story a follow, thank you! You guys are awesome 3**


	15. Chapter 15 - Backstory

**Chapter 15 - Backstory**

The next morning, Taylor was on her way to Laura's when her phone rang. She had decided to finally tell her the truth today but she wasn't sure how. She was too busy thinking how she was gonna tell her girlfriend that she absentmindedly answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Taylor? Hi! I was wondering if you were free today? Maybe we can have some lunch?" It was Pete.

Taylor was again taken by surprise. She hated it that this guy was having this effect on her. "Uhm, lunch?" She looked at her watch. It was 20 minutes past 11. Maybe it was better that she talked to him first before speaking to Laura. She had to get this done and over with, anyway. "Okay, no problem."

"Okay. So, I'll just pick you up? You still have the same address, right?"

"Uh, no. I mean, yeah I still live at the same address but there's no need to pick me up. I'm not home anyways. Let's just meet somewhere... private, hopefully." She didn't want the media to see them together, she was pretty sure they were gonna have ideas of their own if they did.

"Yeah, I understand. Wanna meet at my place, instead?"

Taylor didn't know if it was a good idea to meet Pete at his place. But agreeing to meet him in the first place was already a bad idea, anyway. "Uh, okay. Just text me the address and I'll be there."

-o-o-o-

Laura had been calling and texting Taylor for an hour now but she couldn't reach her. She was supposed to invite her for lunch but it's almost one o'clock so she just decided to eat on her own. She decided to just drop by her place afterwards.

-o-o-o-

Taylor made her way to Pete's as slowly as she could. She was afraid of what she might feel once she saw him again and she didn't like to think how it could affect what she had with Laura if it turned out to be something she thought she was over with for years now.

She was already in front of his door but she still hadn't rung his doorbell. She wanted to back out, to just get out of there but she couldn't move her feet. After a few more minutes of going back and forth with her decision to just leave, she had gathered up the courage to finally ring the doorbell.

After what felt like hours but only a few seconds of waiting, the door opened. "Taylor," said the man she hadn't seen in a long time looking like he had been given the best gift of the day.

-o-o-o-

_Taylor had received her third rejection in one week. She had auditioned for numerous television shows, commercials, and even tried films but none of those people she auditioned for seemed to think that she was deserving of any of those roles. She was tired. She was starting to doubt whether this career she chose was worth every stab of pain she felt every time she got rejected._

_She was also getting tired of her family bullshit. She didn't want to be any part of that anymore but they kept dragging her to the mess they kept creating for themselves and she was tired of that, too._

_The only good thing in her life right now was Pete, the guy she had been in-love with for three years now. She knew that she wouldn't have handled all the disappointments and problems she'd been having if it wasn't for him. He was always there whenever she needed him and he loved her very much. She felt the same._

_As if sensing that she needed him right now, Pete had arrived. "Hi, sweetheart!" He went up to Taylor and kissed her._

"_Hi," said Taylor with a half-hearted smile._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Another rejection."_

_Pete wrapped his arms around Taylor's shoulders and kissed her head. "Ahhh, don't worry about them. They don't know what they're doing. It's not your loss, baby. One day, you will find the perfect role for you, one that will make you one of the biggest stars in the world, and it will win you a lot of awards. I'm telling you. That day is coming sooner than you think. So, stop feeling bad, okay?" He hugged her more tightly._

_Right then, she felt a lot better. This guy with her was all she needed. She was sure that he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with._

-o-o-o-

"Have a seat! I'll just set the table so we can eat," said Pete, as if in a hurry. He looked so rattled Taylor wanted to laugh.

"Pete, no need to hurry. It's okay. I'm not yet starving anyway." That was a lie.

Pete still almost ran to the kitchen, though.

When he was out of her sight, Taylor tried to assess what she was feeling at the moment. And it scared her. Because she felt that violent thumping inside her chest again. The moment she saw Pete, she wanted to run away. She wanted to go back in time and change her mind about allowing him to come back to her life. Because after all the years she hadn't seen him, when she thought she wouldn't be affected anymore, the past came biting her in the ass, and it still hurt as if what happened just took place yesterday.

-o-o-o-

_She thought it was just gonna be one of those normal dates. A nice restaurant, good food, cozy environment. But she realized it was gonna be more than just that when Pete went down on one knee, held a small box in front of her, and opened it. It was indeed more than just a date when he started saying the words she's been wanting to hear from him for a long time now._

"_Will you be my wife, Ms. Taylor Schilling?"_

_Feeling warm tears flow from her eyes, tears of ultimate joy, Taylor said the words she never thought she'd ever regret. "Yes. Yes, I will!"_

-o-o-o-

Pete and Taylor had just finished lunch. The whole time they were eating, all Taylor could think was how much it would've been better if it was Laura who cooked, and it was her she was eating with. She couldn't wait for this to just be done so she could go see her gorgeous girlfriend now.

She hated being there. She hated how stupid she was for agreeing to this. How could he act as if nothing had happened? How could he just barge into her life again after what he did to her?

"I'm glad that you had agreed to join me today. I really thought that you wouldn't... after everything that has happened."

Taylor was surprised by how fast Pete wanted to get on why they were there in the first place. She thought that he was gonna beat around the bush in the first place, knowing how it ended with them five years ago. But she was thankful anyways. At least she could go home sooner.

"I honestly don't know why I'm here." She said, with a blank face.

Before she got here, she planned on being nice to him because that's what decent human beings do. But now that every feeling was starting to come rushing back, all she wanted was to hurt this guy in front of her... as much as he'd hurt her before.

-o-o-o-

_Two days before the wedding. It was all Taylor could think of. She was so excited of becoming Mrs. Peter Sullivan that she couldn't think of anything else. She wasn't as excited about the wedding as she was about the marriage. It was all that mattered to her. It wasn't about the occasion that was about to happen in a couple of days, it was the entire future life in store for her and Pete._

_She must have been too engrossed with her thoughts that she didn't realize that Pete was behind her. "Hey! I didn't realize you were there. How long have you been standing there?"_

_Pete just smiled, but it was gone as soon as it formed in his lips._

"_Are you okay?" Taylor rushed to his side."What's going on, babe?"_

"_I need to talk to you."_

"_Okay." It was freaking Taylor out, how Pete looked. He's never usually like this. He was always outgoing, always laughing. Now, he looked... wretched._

_They both sat down._

_Taylor just stared at Pete, waiting for him to say something._

"_I love you," were the first words that came out of Pete's lips._

_Taylor just smiled, encouraging him to go on._

"_I love you so much. That's why..." Pete bowed and kept shaking his head. When he looked up again, he looked as if he was about to cry. "We can't continue the wedding."_

_At that moment, Taylor couldn't move. She wasn't sure if she heard him right but she was afraid to ask him to repeat what he just said because if she indeed heard him right, it would hurt like hell. She felt all her strength gradually ebb away. She couldn't speak._

"_I'm so sorry. I was stupid... and crazy... and I would do anything to go back in time and not do what I did... But I can't. And I'm terribly sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."_

"_But you're hurting me now." It was what Taylor wanted to say but she only thought that to herself. "I... I don't understand. What's happening?" She was on the verge of tears now. This wasn't happening. This was supposed to be the sole good thing in her life right now. Why was it being taken away from her?_

"_I... I got Jenna pregnant."_

_Taylor didn't even care who Jenna was anymore. When she heard the word pregnant, she felt her world collapse, and she was beneath it. She was being crushed and she couldn't get back up. She's lost all the will to be aware of what was going on around her._

_She didn't even realize that Pete already stood up..._

_That he had started walking away... not just from her at that time, but from her life._

_And that it was the last time he was going to see him in a long time._

-o-o-o-

Laura arrived at Taylor's place more than an hour after she ate lunch. She's looked for her everywhere but she wasn't there. She was wondering where she would be at this time of day. She usually told her whenever she was leaving her house.

She tried calling her again and eventually found out why she couldn't reach her. She had left her phone.

Laura took and opened it. Her last message was from an unregistered number. The message was an address. Without thinking, Laura went back to her car and drove her way to wherever that place was.

**A/N:**

**Explosiosinthesky, Thank you! I try. I've actually finished this story up until the very last chapter that's why I can update regularly =)**

**moanzs, Here's the new chapter! Thank you for the reviews, you rock haha. =)**

**Elzyles, Wow, that's impressive! Haha. That's 70 pages in MS Word lol =) Thank you, appreciate that you like it **

**fishbonne1082, no it's definitely not yet over don't worry =) Thank you!**

**stargatejumper10, that's actually my hopes for them irl. A girl can dream, right? Haha.**

**Thanks again you guys. Sorry for saying this over and over again but I really do appreciate it =)**


	16. Chapter 16 - One Big Fight

**Chapter 16 – One Big Fight**

"I honestly don't know why I'm here. You? Why are you here Pete? I mean... why are you back? You've been gone five years, why return now?" Pete was about to answer but Taylor cut her off. "Where is your child, by the way? And... what was her name again? Jenny? Jenna?"

Taylor silently scolded herself for feeling and acting this way. She knew she had every right to be mad at him. He cheated on her. She trusted him but he hurt her.

But it had been five years. She should be over it by now. No matter how much she wanted, she couldn't help it. Maybe because she didn't have a chance to say all these things to Pete before. They hadn't really had a closure. Maybe that's the right term for what they were doing right now.

"J-Jenna is in Scotland, with her husband... and their kids. Peyton, our child is... She's sleeping... inside," he pointed towards a room nearby.

Taylor did not expect this. She thought that Pete and Jenna got married. That's what she heard before she tried to remove all contacts she had with Pete. And to know that their child was under the same roof as hers right now made her uneasy.

When Taylor didn't speak, Pete went on. "I'm sorry that it took me this long to come back. I wasn't sure you still wanted to see me after... after what happened. But... I had to try."

"What difference would you, being here, make? It's over, Peter. It's been over a long time."

"I know. But I wanted us to be okay again. I didn't expect that we would be, though. But I don't want to know that however we ended things between us before was going to be just like that... without me even trying."

"But it would've been better if it was just like that." Taylor said so softly even she wasn't sure if she said it out loud or just in her mind.

"What?"

"Nothing." She then made up her mind that it was wrong that she was here. So, Taylor stood up and headed towards the door. "This is not right. I shouldn't have gone here." Taylor started walking, fast. "I have to go."

"Taylor, wait! Please."They were now outside the door, on Pete's porch. "Please, listen to me."

"There's no point, Peter, really. I should leave."

Pete held Taylor's arm to stop her from leaving. Suddenly, they heard a sound from inside.

"Daddy?"

Then Taylor saw a little girl come out, probably four or five years old, holding a teddy bear, scratching her eyes. She slowly made her way towards them.

"Daddy, who is she?"

She was looking at Taylor with such innocent eyes. She had Pete's eyes. Taylor didn't know why but she felt like crying. She looked away because she couldn't handle the little girl's stare at her. And then she froze as she saw a familiar figure standing beside a car.

"Laura..."

-o-o-o-

Taylor was driving so fast hoping she could still catch Laura. When she saw that Taylor had seen her, she immediately went inside her car and drove away. Taylor didn't even look back at Pete and his daughter anymore. She just ran towards her car and started driving as soon as she could. While driving, she tried looking for her phone inside her bag but she couldn't find it. That's when she knew why Laura was there. She must've left her phone at home and Laura must've seen it.

"Ugh! Stupid!" she said, smacking the steering wheel of her car.

-o-o-o-

Laura didn't know what to feel. When she saw Taylor come out of that house, followed by a guy she couldn't recognize, she felt all kinds of emotions rush through her. And then he held her arm. And then a little girl came out, and Taylor looked at her. She didn't understand the look she gave her. All she knew at that time was that she needed to get out of there. That's when Taylor saw her.

She knew Taylor would be here any minute now and she wasn't ready to face her just yet. If that guy was the reason of Taylor acting so strangely for the last few days, then it meant that Taylor lied to her. And she wasn't sure how to deal with that just yet. She silently prayed that Taylor hadn't followed her here.

Then there was a knock.

She breathed deeply. She couldn't decide whether she should just open the door. But Taylor had a key, if she didn't open the door, she could still come inside. So she just went and opened it.

"Babe, please let me explain." Taylor came barging in, out of breath. But Laura did not speak and didn't even look at her.

"I was gonna tell you, okay? Earlier today, I was gonna come here and explain everything."

"But you didn't."

"Because he called me and asked me if we could meet. And I figured it best to talk to him first... before you," short pause, "...which was stupid. It was a mistake and I'm so, so sorry."

This time, Laura looked at Taylor. "When I asked you yesterday about why you were acting strange, and you told me it was because of your dad, were you telling me the truth then?"

Taylor opened her mouth but no words had come out. Then she bowed, "No."

Laura felt like someone had stabbed her right in her chest. "Please leave me alone."

"Laura, please listen to me first," Taylor went to Laura and held her hands but Laura swatted her hands away.

"Taylor, I need to be alone right now."

"I am not leaving unless you listen to what I say," Taylor said firmly.

"And what?! Have you lie to me, in my face, again?!"

"Will you listen to me?!"

"What, now you have the right to yell at me?"

"Because you're not listening! I have an explanation for this, okay? Will you stop being so stubborn for a minute and listen to what I have to say?"

"I am stubborn?! Are you fucking kidding me right now?! You lied to me!"

"Because I did not know how to explain to you that the guy I almost married, the guy I used to think as the one I was gonna spend the rest of my life with, was back!"

With that, both Laura and Taylor froze. Taylor realized what she just blurted out, so she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

Laura calmed down, too. But it was a different kind of 'calm'. It was the dangerous one.

"I would've handled that, you know. But you, lying to me? That's what I don't think I can understand right now... or ever." She looked at Taylor with pain in her eyes. "Leave. Please. If you don't, I will."

Tears were starting to form under Taylor's eyes. "I'm really sorry." With that, she went out.

-o-o-o-

"How many days have you been ignoring her? What, you think that's better than talking about it?"

Natasha and Laura were at the set of Orange, taping another episode of the show. They were having a lunch break and Tasha found it as a good time to talk some sense into Laura about what's going on with her and Taylor's relationship.

"How sure am I that she's not gonna lie to me again? Or that she's not gonna go off with some guy that she used to want to spend the rest of her life with, huh?"

"Well, that escalated quickly," said Natasha, rolling her eyes. "And about your question, I think... pretty sure. You said so yourself, 'used to'!"

"You don't understand. That's not my point."

"Then what is? What is your problem, really? You're worried that she's gonna leave you for some guy because deep down, she still prefers men over women? Well, I hate to break it to you, dear, but she has that same problem, too. You know what your difference is, though? She trusts you enough to feel secured that she's still the one you're going to choose over any other people at the end of the day."

"Easy for you to say, I don't have a guy I almost married, whom I labelled as the guy I wanna spend the rest of my life with."

"Yeah. True," Tasha nodded. "You only have a guy you've been with for seven, probably even eight, years, who gave you a fucking horse, and who's still very much your friend up until now. I mean, it's not even a question as to who should be worried more."

"She shouldn't be worried about Chris, we're just friends," Laura said nonchalantly, missing Natasha's point.

"And you shouldn't be worried about Pete, either. Come on, she hates the guy, for crying out loud."

"How many times do I have to say that he's not the problem? He's the proof of the problem!"

"What proof are you talking about? Look, I know that this is not easy for you. She lied to you, fine. I get it that you're scared she might do the same thing again. But you have to understand her, too. What she went through with that guy, it's not as easy to talk about to anyone as you might expect... even with you... hell, especially with you."

"What do you mean what she's been through with that guy?"

"See, you don't even know. Go talk to her, okay? Fix it... before it's too late."

-o-o-o-

It had been days since Taylor last talked to Laura. She couldn't forgive herself for lying to her... and for being so stupid about not telling her everything before going to Pete's. It had been a wrong move on her side and she didn't know how to make up for it that's why she hasn't gone to her yet.

But she missed her so badly and she couldn't take another day without talking to Laura. So she grabbed her purse, and went to the door. She had to see her now. But before she could even open the door, there was a knock. She opened it. It was Pete.

"What are you doing here, Pete?" She was disappointed to see him at the door. She really hoped it was Laura.

"I really need to talk to you. Is it okay if I come in? Please?"

Taylor didn't move away from the doorway. "No, it's not. What is there left to talk about, Pete? Haven't I told you that this was over?

"Yes. But I was hoping, that... that maybe there was still a chance-"

Taylor laughed, but it wasn't a happy one. "A chance? For what? For us? Are you kidding me? After what you did, you think I'm gonna give you another chance to hurt me again? Wow, Pete. I can't believe you thought that you coming back, apologizing and asking for another chance was gonna work."

Pete just stood there, looking dejected.

"Look, okay, maybe at first I was confused. That's why I even agreed to see you. Because I thought that there was still something to talk about. But you know what? I was stupid. I didn't need to see you to know that it really was over between the two of us. You cheated on me! There's really no need for anything other than that for me to know that it had been over for so long." She smirked.

"But there is one thing that you being here made me realize. It's the fact that I'm with someone really amazing right now... and that there's really nothing in this world that I would trade for her. And that she's someone I can't live without, because I love her so, so much. So thank you, for being the ass that you were. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't be with her right now. So please, I think this should be the last time you should show your face to me. Have a great life, Peter. Thank you for everything."

And she closed the door.

**A/N:**

**vauseman24, so sorry! I have a thing for cliffhangers, lol. But none of that this time! =)**

**Guest from Amsterdam, Aww, thank you! That really means a lot because there are a lot of awesome Laylor fanfics out there :" here's the new chapter, hope you like it. And don't worry, no more Pete until Chapter _ lol =)))**

**moanzs, ahhh you're slowly becoming my favourite reviewer :" thank you! So sorry for the cliffhanger though =)**

**lookingforflowers, THANK YOUUUU! And this is the end of the Pete era (almost!)**

**king09, sorry for the confusion but this is the first time I'm posting chapter 16 so I don't really know what happened =(**

**jo michael, Aww, thank you! I feel luckier that you're reading it and that you love it! =)**

**Another round of thank you, you guys! Virtual hug to everyone! Xoxo - jen**


	17. Chapter 17 - Internal Conflict

**Chapter 17 – Internal Conflict**

Laura had been inside her car in front of Taylor's house, for quite a long time now, but she still wasn't sure how to do what she was supposed to do. She had been an idiot for not listening to Taylor's explanation. She knew Taylor wouldn't lie to her just for the sake of it, but her judgment was clouded because she was too emotional at that time. Now that she'd realized it, it was time to fix things

She made her way to Taylor's house, thinking about what she should say. She was about to insert her key to the doorknob's keyhole, but she decided against it and knocking felt more like the right thing to do. But before she could even lift her hand to knock, the door had opened.

"Laura?" Taylor was surprised to see Laura at her doorstep.

"Hi, can we talk?"

Without speaking, Taylor almost ran towards her and pulled her for an embrace. She hugged her so tightly she felt like she was crushing her bones. "I'm so sorry. I promise I won't do it again. I'm really sorry." Before she even realized it, Laura was hugging her back.

"Hey... it's okay now." She pulled away to look at Taylor for a while, smiling. Then she slowly pressed her lips on her. She missed her so much she didn't know how she had managed to ignore her for days. "I'm sorry, too. I should've listened to you first."

They went inside and sat on Taylor's couch. "I'm ready to tell you everything. I'm sorry I thought it was better to talk to him first. I was stupid."

Then she narrated her and Pete's whole story, from the moment they met up until they had broken up, until the very last time she'd seen Pete, which was just yesterday. She did not know if it was necessary to tell Laura everything but she'd learned her lesson. She would be a fool to make the same mistake again.

After Taylor's story, Laura felt the urge to smack the guy in the face. He had no right to do that to Taylor. He was stupid to do so. Even if it worked in her favor, she still hated the fact that that guy had the nerve to cause her girlfriend that much pain.

"But, everything's okay now. I mean, I've told him everything I needed to tell him. Now that it's out of my chest, I feel so much better. I don't really care about him anymore."

"Wait a minute, you told me before that you've never met a boyfriend's parent. You were gonna marry this guy and you haven't met his parents yet?"

"Naaah. His parents had passed away even before I met him." She paused. "Which reminds me how he must be handling being a parent right now when he grew up without anyone. I kind of feel bad for his kid. I know what it feels like to grow up with a broken family and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Laura almost smiled just thinking how lucky she was that she had a girlfriend who had so much compassion for other people. "She'll be fine, babe. Look at you. Even if you did grow up with a broken family, you still grew up to be one of the most amazing people in the world. Maybe she could be the same, you know."

-o-o-o-

Even if she and Taylor had talked and worked it out, it had still taken Laura days to fully get over the Pete incident, as she liked to call it, only to herself. Every once in a while, it would pop in her mind and create chaos in there, making her think of things she shouldn't be thinking about, negative ones, and always about her relationship with Taylor.

After a few days, she finally got exhausted of thinking too much. So she was keen on making herself believe that she had finally gotten over it and had learned to accept that Taylor loved her and no matter what happened, she would always choose her at the end of the day.

But she couldn't fool herself. Because ever since Pete came in the scene, she hadn't shaken off the feeling that something would always be wrong with her and Taylor... no matter how much they loved each other.

-o-o-o-

It was another day at Litchfield, Laura had just finished a scene. Taylor had been packed up hours ago but she decided to wait for her so they could go home together. She was sitting with Yael outside the psychiatric ward they were shooting in and Laura made her way towards them.

They were talking about something but something caught Laura's ear that made her stop. They had their backs on her and they still hadn't realized she was just a few steps behind them.

"I'm glad you two are okay now. I hate seeing you ignore each other like that. The aura around is so heavy." It was Yael speaking with her Australian accent. Sometimes though, without realizing it, she would use her accent as Lorna Morello. It was a testament on how this job had affected all of them, as it had sometimes confused them with the characters they played.

"I know. I hate it, too. I think that was the first big fight we had. It was the first one that went on for days and it was terrible. I don't want that to happen again."

Laura felt bad that Taylor felt that. She felt the same thing and didn't want it to happen again, too. She didn't know why but there was something about listening to Taylor talk about her that felt good and scary both at the same time, so she stayed still, wanting to hear some more.

"So, that Pete guy, you were almost gonna marry him?"

"Yeah. I always thought that him cheating was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. Because when that happens to you, everything good you think you know about yourself is suddenly gone. It makes you think so much less of yourself, you know. I mean, why else would they look for another person if you were enough?"

"Well, aside from the fact that they're stupid and that they're assholes and can't recognize that they're with people who are already amazing?"

"That's exactly my thoughts now. Plus, I now get to be with the most amazing woman in the world. So, I see that now as a blessing in disguise... something I should probably be thankful for," shrugged Taylor.

"So what now, you're not the settling kind of gal anymore?"

Laura wasn't sure if Yael was joking or not but she waited for Taylor's answer, certain that it would matter so much to her.

"You know what? I still am. I still want those things that I've always wanted when I was still with Pete. I still want a marriage... and kids and, you know, the normal life. It's what I always wanted. I don't think anything can change that."

Laura wanted to run away the moment those words came out from Taylor's lips. It was that time when her mind went suddenly blank, except for a little idea that's been forming inside it ever since that big fight with Taylor. It's a dangerous idea that's been screaming at her for a couple of weeks now but she was choosing to ignore it because she loved Taylor and she wanted to be with her. But at that moment, she could no longer ignore it.

She spun around, having forgotten that there was a table behind her. She had hit it and it was toppled over causing Yael and Taylor to look at her.

"Hey!" Taylor stood up and almost ran to her even if she was just a few steps away. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Uhh, yes. I was just about to come call you to go home. But I, uh, hit the table." Laura didn't even understand what she was saying at the time. She hated the fact that she was so stupid of hitting that freaking table. She just wanted to get away unnoticed.

"Are you hurt?" Taylor examined Laura's arm and was relieved to see that there wasn't any bruise or anything.

"No." Not physically. Because at that time, she was hurting so bad. "No. I'm fine."

She wasn't.

-o-o-o-

It was another few days later. Laura, Taylor and some of the rest of the cast of OITNB just finished doing a scene. It was almost two in the morning and everyone was exhausted, but there was still one short scene that needed to be shot.

The couple had decided to lie in one of the bunks on the set while waiting for their take when Ruby and Uzo joined them.

"Hey, you guys!" It was Ruby Rose. "Mind if we join you?

It was good thing that Laura and Taylor had their backs on Ruby and Uzo, because Laura couldn't help rolling her eyes. "If we do, would you leave?" she said so softly, just so only Taylor would hear.

Taylor unsuccessfully stifled her laugh. Laura was really a bitch when she wanted, too. And she loved her for it.

"Sorry?" asked Ruby, without any idea what Laura had just said.

"Nothing," said Laura, with a fake smile before sitting up. Taylor did the same. "So, what's up?" Laura tried sounding enthusiastic, despite her exhaustion and annoyance.

"Sorry, were you trying to rest? We can just move to another bunk," apologized Uzo. She didn't want to disturb the two when she saw that that the couple were trying to rest but Ruby insisted that it was okay and she couldn't do anything about it.

"No, no, no. It's fine. We were just lying down." As much as Laura couldn't stand the presence of their hot lesbian co-star, she was fine with Uzo being there.

"Yeah, no worries," Taylor said as she entangled her arm with Laura's, while resting her head on her shoulder. Her eyes were drooping and it was taking all her strength to keep her from falling asleep.

"Are you sure?" asked Ruby. "Coz you look like you can use some sleep right now."

"I'm fine. I promise." She snuggled closely to Laura, and then the latter kissed the top of her head.

"So, how are things going on with you two? Smoothly, I hope?" It was Ruby again.

"Yeah, couldn't be better," answered Taylor as she lifted her head to look at Laura. "Right?"

"Yes, definitely," agreed Laura. She leaned in to give Taylor a short kiss on her lips.

"Good! I'm happy you're both not succumbing to all the pressure around you to stay together, you know? That's a lot to handle, especially for someone as popular as you two."

"What do you mean?" It was Uzo, who felt like this conversation was going somewhere not very pretty for the couple. "No one's giving them any pressure. I mean, maybe some of the fans, yes, but Taylor and Laura are smart enough not to listen to them."

"All right, that's good then. How about the threat of other guys around? I mean, let's face it. You've both gone out with guys, too. I've dated bisexuals, and they always, and I mean always, ended up with guys." Ruby blabbed on. "I had this girlfriend. We were doing so great. I mean, we both thought that we were gonna end up together, you know? We've made plans for our future and it was the best time of my life. Until one day, I don't know, maybe she just woke up and realized that she actually still preferred men and the security that they bring which, according to her, women don't."

Taylor remembered what Marjorie had told her and was a little scared that Laura still had that fear. And if not, she was still scared that this conversation might bring that back. She wanted to look at her, to see how her reaction was but she was scared that if she did, she would see the reaction she didn't want to see so she just fixated her gaze on the persons in front of her.

"Well," it was Laura who voiced her own thoughts, "she's just one person, out of a million who chose to follow what they think is right, and not what others think is right." Laura wanted to ignore the fact that what Ruby Rose had said affected her in ways it shouldn't have, that's why she tried convincing herself otherwise by voicing the exact opposite of what she was thinking at the moment.

"Are we sure, though, that it's just her who had made that decision? I mean, I am pretty sure she's not. But you're not her. I'm pretty sure you're both sticking to your choices. I'm happy for you both."

Laura knew that Ruby had no bad intentions of bringing that up. She was just trying to make conversation and she didn't mean to cause them any harm, especially her. But she was still annoyed.

Because she agreed with her. This relationship didn't give her any security, that kind that she'd always want whenever she was in a relationship. And as the three kept the conversation going, she wasn't with them anymore. Her mind was far away, thinking how pathetic it was for her to even think that this was going to work. Because clearly, it wasn't.

**A/N:**

**moanzs, just don't leave me hanging here, okay? Haha. Thanks again!**

**Guest who can't for more, here's the new chapter thank you!**

**stargatejumper10, Thank you! Yes, Laylor may not be real (but we can keep dreaming) but they're forever, right?**

**Schrodinger, Wow, that's really sweet thank you! :"**

**Special mention king09, here's the new chapter =)**


	18. Chapter 18 - Decision Made

**Chapter 18 – Decision Made**

_It had been a long day. It was almost two in the morning but Laura had just gotten home from her shoot. She shot a flashback scene today so she had a separate set location from the whole cast. When she got home, she found Taylor already sleeping in her bedroom. She kissed her forehead before going to the bathroom._

_After her shower, Laura went out but was surprised that Taylor wasn't in bed anymore. She quickly changed into her sleeping robe and went down._

_She found Taylor in the kitchen preparing food. She went to her and wrapped her arms around her so that she was hugging her from behind. She then kissed her on her cheek then on the side of her neck going downwards to her shoulder._

"_Hmmm..." murmured Taylor. She smiled at Laura's gesture. "Hi, baby. I prepared you food. I'm sure you haven't eaten yet."_

"_Thanks, babe. But you know I prefer eating something else."_

_Laura grinned and she could see that Taylor did, too. She then slid her hands downwards, feeling her curves. She kissed Taylor on the side of her neck again, biting a little causing Taylor to moan. She slipped her hand inside her waistband and then slid a finger over her center, pressing gently. That rewarded her with a moan from Taylor as she threw her head back._

_Taylor then faced her, and Laura was caught off guard by the desire in Taylor's eyes. "I love you so much, baby. I don't ever wanna lose you."_

-o-o-o-

Laura thought of that night, just a few nights after Taylor's birthday, but it seemed like it had been such a long time ago. It had only been just a little more than a week. She threw her a big party then afterwards a dinner just for the two of them. She hoped that this might take everything off her mind for good. But she couldn't. And everything was a lot worse now.

Things were so different now that every moment, happy ones, she had shared with Taylor seemed so distant. She wasn't sure how she got here, how she had become the complete opposite of the person who promised Taylor she wouldn't be scared anymore, that she wouldn't leave her.

But all of her fears right now were eating her alive. She couldn't even look at Taylor anymore without feeling terrified of what would happen if she decided that this was not the life that she actually wanted, right at the moment when Laura couldn't live without her anymore... when she had fallen too much in love with Taylor that living without her would feel like it was gonna be her death.

She had to get out of this before it was too late. Even if she knew that she loved her too much already, right now she could still leave. And maybe it was for the better, for both of them. Being with Taylor felt right. But so was getting out of the relationship right now. This wasn't about whether what's right or wrong anymore. It was choosing what's more right of the two.

She was waiting for Taylor. She was coming over for lunch and she thought it was the best time to get this over and done with. She had never dreaded any other time more.

About half an hour later, they were both at the dining table. Taylor started telling this story about something but Laura wasn't really listening. She was thinking of how to do this without hurting Taylor. She knew it was stupid to do so because she was gonna hurt her, whichever way she chose to do this.

"Taylor, we need to talk." She blurted all of a sudden.

"Aren't we doing that already?" Taylor asked, confused.

"I know. But... this is serious." She kept playing with her fork absentmindedly.

"What happened?" Taylor suddenly looked so concerned. She put her fork down and held one of Laura's hands which were on the table at the time. "Is there something wrong?"

Laura wanted to first explain why she was doing this. She wanted to make her understand because she didn't want Taylor to hate her afterwards. But she couldn't find the right words to say... because she knew that at that moment, there was nothing right to say.

She stared into Taylor's eyes and thought of whether she would be able to live a life without her in it. And she was scared that she wouldn't. So before she could back out from this, she just went right on with it. "I don't wanna do this anymore."

Ripped the band-aid right where it hurt.

"Do what? Eat? But we just started. Are you full?"

Laura didn't fail to notice how Taylor had avoided her eyes when she said that. "You know what I mean." She felt like a million knives we're going through her at that time, just looking at Taylor, but she couldn't stop now.

"No, I don't." Taylor kept shaking her head, as if it was gonna make the swirling inside her head stop. "Because you're not making any sense." At that time, Taylor's heart was beating so fast. "What are you really trying to say, Laura?"

Laura swallowed the lump that was slowly forming in her throat. "I think it's time for us to end this... _us_."

This time, Taylor had looked at her. "What? What are you... why... What?" Taylor couldn't even form any sentence that made sense anymore. She felt like it was all going too fast. "Why are you doing this? We're doing okay! What has gotten into you?"

"Really? Do you really think we're doing okay?"

"Well, at least I am! Why? Aren't you? Laura what the fuck is happening?"

"Yes! I'm not doing okay. This isn't working out anymore, Taylor. Let's just end this before it hurts us way too much."

"Not working? When did it ever stop working? The only way that it's gonna stop to ever work is when you get out of it, Laura. Is this because of Pete? I thought we were over that?"

"It's not about Pete, okay? It's about everything else and it's making me lose my head. Taylor, this is... this is driving me insane and if it doesn't stop now, I swear, I'm just gonna lose it."

Taylor did not speak. Instead she suddenly stood up and almost threw the napkin on her lap at the table. "I'm not... I can't believe this is happening." She started walking away as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. Because clearly, you need time to think. Alone. This is not over, Laura. It can't be. I'm not gonna let it." She paused, unsure whether it was right to leave now. "I'll come back when you're back to your senses."

-o-o-o-

Taylor reached her place and it was only when she had slumped on her couch did she realize that she was shaking. The day she had always been dreading had arrived. Laura had let her fear take its toll on her.

She had not forgotten what she and Marjorie had talked about before, but she didn't realize that it's gonna be so hard to stand her ground when Laura would finally say those words. She knew Laura loved her and that she didn't really wanna leave her.

But it scared her like crazy. Just thinking of Laura out of her life made her sick to her stomach. She can't live without her. She wouldn't. She would make sure of that.

-o-o-o-

It didn't even take Taylor three hours before she went back to Laura's house. She wanted to give her time to think about everything but every minute that passed was torture to her. She couldn't just sit and wait for Laura to make a decision that could change their lives forever. If she wanted them to stay together, she had to do something herself.

So she got up, and went straight for Laura's home. She found her outside her house, smoking, when she arrived. "I'm ready to talk about this now. I'm sorry. I should have never walked out on you earlier."

Laura just nodded. She threw her cigarette away then went inside her house.

Taylor followed her. "I know that you're scared, Laura. I am, too. This is the time where we get scared together. We just have to find a way to make this work, despite all of that. I know we can."

"I'm not scared, Taylor. I used to. But not anymore." She didn't understand why she had to lie. She was scared. It was all she was feeling every damn day. And she couldn't live with it anymore.

"So where are all these coming from?"

"It's coming from my desire to have the normal life I've always planned to have. Something that I've always wanted ever since day one. And I can't have that with you. I can't even make it a day without thinking about how much we're gonna sacrifice of ourselves just to be together. It's a struggle inside me every fucking minute, Taylor."

"I don't get it. I'm not sacrificing anything. And if there comes a point in my life where I have to, I'd be fine with it. I don't give a crap about how much I'd have to lose just to be with you. Because I love you, Laura. I don't care about what the consequences are gonna be."

"But, I do... okay? I'm not ready to give up so much in my life for you. I'm sorry. I thought I was. Turned out I can't." She turned her back on her, but faced her again after just about a second. "And, what's gonna happen if you wake up one day and realize that you actually still want to be with a guy, huh?"

"I love you! Okay? I love you more than I have ever loved anyone in my entire life. Do you think I'm gonna throw this all away for some guy? Why can't you trust me?"

Laura didn't speak so Taylor went on.

It hurt Taylor to hear Laura say those words to her... to know that Laura didn't find her worthy enough for her to let those things happen to her... to not trust her enough to think that she's gonna stay no matter what. But she understood.

"I know this is not easy. You do, too. You've told me. So why are you bailing on me now? Does what we feel for each other not enough for you to want to fight for this?"

"I want to. I swear I have... numerous times. But I keep losing every damn time. It's about time I take that as a sign that this is never going to work."

Taylor was starting to see that Laura was really serious with her decision, that it wasn't just something she thought of in a minute and would get over after some time. And it was scaring her.

"There's gotta be a way to fix this. Tell me, I'd do it. If you need time... away from me, I'd give it to you. If that's what you need to figure it all out... to figure how I can make all of this easier for you. Just please, don't tell me that this is it... that it's over. Because I can't, Laura. I can't lose you."

"Taylor, I've tried. I swear. This is not a decision I've made over the last 24 hours."

"Laura, please. Don't do this to me," she looked at Laura and it was all it took her to lose all control she thought she had. The woman she loved so much was slowly slipping away from her, and there was nothing she could do to make her stay. Tears had dropped, one by one, and she couldn't stop it. "I love you... so much. I can't... Please."

She wanted to go near the woman she loved so much, to touch her, to hug her, to make her feel how much she loved her. But she couldn't move. It was as if everything that Laura had told her had paralyzed her.

All her life, Taylor had sworn she would never beg for someone to stay in her life. If they wanted to leave, she'd let them. She wouldn't want any person who didn't want to be a part of her life. But this was Laura, the woman she'd loved more than any other person in the world. She couldn't let her go.

"I'm sorry." Laura didn't know how she had managed to keep her shit together looking at Taylor this way. "I really am." She swallowed hard, not wanting to say anything else. She knew that if she did, she would probably just take everything she said back and she didn't need that right now. "I think you should go."

Taylor bowed, feeling all her strength slowly leaving her. She never thought she could ever feel this much pain and she didn't know how she was ever going to live with it. And then she looked back up at Laura, and she was just standing there, not even looking at her.

She didn't know how she had managed to do it, but she slowly turned her back on her as she made her way to the door. She reached for the door knob but before she went out, she looked back at Laura again. This time she was looking at her and she saw pain in her eyes.

But at that time, all she felt was numbness. So she walked out the door, and started walking away, not bothering to look back.

**A/N:**

**I'm sorry for this chapter. Please don't hunt me down and kick my ass.**

**moanzs, You don't know how relieved I am to know that! *sighs* I'm really sorry about the cliffhangers, though. I love them! Lol.**

**stargatejumper10, I'm sorry this needed to happen (in this fan fiction, of course)**

**lookingforflowers, i'm so sorry for this theeeen =(**

**vausemanforever, also, sorry! Hope you don't hate me rn =( haha**

**jo michael, thank you! Maybe you're regretting hoping for this chapter now, eh? Lol kidding =)**

**Roseriotgrrl, Oh she just did. apologies from me =(**

**bellacjh, here it is! =) aww, thank you! I live for these kinds of reviews. Thanks again, that's really sweet :')**

**guest from Amsterdam, hi you're back! =) Thank you so much! Oh replying is the least I can do for you guys being so wonderful to take the time to leave reviews on my fic. I love them! =)**


	19. Chapter 19 - Scenes

**Chapter 19 - Scenes**

_"Come be my little spoon..."_

_Despite what she said, Piper actually didn't care if this wasn't being careful at all. The moment that smile formed on Alex's lips, she slowly made her way to her girl's bunk, lying with her back on her, obliging to become her 'little spoon." _

_"Gosh! Aww, how do you sleep in this thing?" She laid down and imagined how hard it must have been for Alex to sleep on that hard surface every damn night._

_"Not well..." Alex put her arm on Piper's shoulder, almost chuckling. She then became serious, and decided to tell her how she felt about Piper deciding to tell Caputo the truth. "I am proud of you."_

_"Yeah?" Piper sounded surprised._

_"Yeah." She gathered some of Piper's hair and swept them towards the back of her neck. "It was really brave. I mean, it was dumb..." she kissed the side of her neck, "...but brave." All the time, her arm was wrapped around Piper._

_Piper was just smiling, listening to Laura, unsure if she was indeed describing her correctly. She then decided to face her. "You know, I don't think that anyone has ever used that word to describe me in the history of the universe."_

_Alex smiled as she fixed some hair tucked behind Piper's ear. "I'm glad we have each other in here, kid."_

_She was staring at her eyes, wondering how she was supposed to feel inside that prison. She should have been feeling like that place was sucking the life out of her, taking away all the great things she should've been doing outside those four walls. But she was fine. Just staring at Piper's eyes, she knew she always would, as long as she was there with her._

_"Yeah, me too. I mean, I'd rather be on a beach in Tahiti but this is a..." Piper let out a very rare smile, a smile she only felt right whenever Alex was around, "...close second."_

_Piper stared back at Alex's eyes. They have gone through so much. They've been apart from each other for ten years. They have hurt each other more than they should have. But she kept wondering about one thing, and she voiced out this question inside her head._

_"Why do you always feel so inevitable to me?"_

_At that point, Alex had no answer for that question. What she had was how she was feeling for the woman just inches from her, something that never really went away, as much as she would've denied that if this wasn't the case between them now. Despite all the bullshit and lies that are within their relationship, deep down, she really does love her._

_But she had this thing about not showing so much vulnerability, even with Piper at times, so she couldn't exactly tell her that. Instead, she said the closest thing she thought could convey what she felt, "I heart you."_

_"You heart me?"_

_Alex laughed, trying to tone down the intimacy of that moment... that time where she admitted to Piper, and even to herself that she still loved her, and probably always will. "Yeah..."_

_"What is that? Is that like I love you for pussies?"_

_"Hmmmm..." she rubbed Piper's shoulder, as she chuckled. "Say pussy again."_

_Piper then again, smiled, feeling warmth spread across her chest. She couldn't stop looking at Alex's eyes, as if she could see her soul through them. Even if Alex tried to add some humor in it, all she felt at that time was how much she loved her, too._

_Alex then closed the gap between them as she kissed her. She didn't care if anyone would see them. All she wanted was to make Piper feel how much she loved her. It was always easier for her to make her feel what she wanted to say, than actually say it herself._

_And Piper understood. And she wanted Alex to know what she felt, too. She held her hand and stared into her eyes. "I heart you, too."_

_And in that very rare moment, both had told each other what they really felt, not trying to deny anything, not giving a fuck about anyone else around them. Because at that time, it was just the two of them, without the manipulations and betrayals that have surrounded them ever since they have met. It was just the two of them, and the sincere and incredible love they had for each other._

-o-o-o-

**Taylor's POV**

I had to make everyone believe that it was Piper looking at Alex with so much love in her eyes. But it was me, looking at Laura, wondering how it was possible for me to look at her and not fall in love. Of course, there was the fact that we were both girls and at that point in my life, I still had no idea that I would be capable of falling in love with the same sex.

I knew she was just acting but her stares felt like they were boring deep into my very soul, but it didn't make me uncomfortable at all. Instead, it made me wish that one day, I would meet someone who would stare at me that same way, who would love me the way Alex loved Piper, not realizing that the same person who made me want that kind of love would be the same person I would feel that for.

But now she's gone. And I don't even know why. No matter how much I replayed it on my head, I still don't get why it had to get this far. I thought that we were doing okay. But it turns out that she wasn't. Which is the reason why, I'm in here right now, alone, feeling like someone is hitting me over and over and over again because it hurts so much.

And I don't fucking know how I would go through each day without her... without seeing that kind of stare I love so much. I miss it already. And also without feeling the kind of love I've never felt from anyone else before.

Now all there was left for me to anticipate every damn day is the fear that I have for another scene where Alex would look at Piper with so much love again. Because then, I would just go back to hoping for Laura to give me that kind of look again... when I damn well know that she wouldn't ever... because she's fucking left me.

-o-o-o-

_"Do you think she's gonna murder me? Just how unstable is this Sylvia person?" _

_Alex and Piper had just woken up and it was the first thing that the former told her girlfriend. She was still freaked out about Sylvia. She knew that she'd probably be hurt if Alex left her but she didn't know that she could be this violent... which was stupid because she had already felt her fist on her face._

_"It was a joke." Alex put on her glasses and looked at the time. She could see how freaked out Piper was, but she knew Sylvia. She wouldn't go any further than that._

_But Piper didn't know that. "It was not a joke. It was a very clear message. 'I know what you did, bitch. And I want you to know that I know.'"_

_"Look..." she held Piper's hand as she stretched. "Being with you was my choice. I wasn't happy."_

_At this, Piper smiled. She remembered that time at the bar, when she kind of 'stalked' Alex. 'I wanna taste what you taste like.' She was surprised that she was able to say those words, but was very happy that she did. It was a great night. "Hmm... and I took advantage of that."_

_"I'm a grown up, Piper." Laura chuckled as she took off her glasses. It was Alex's choice to finally end everything up with Sylvia, even if Piper thought that she was the reason. Yes, she was partly the reason. But it was so much more than that. Alex wasn't going to stay in a relationship where everything was just messed up. It always felt like she was just wasting her time._

_"Do you think that she's gonna come after me?"_

_Alex found Piper way too cute that she couldn't help but smile. "Look, I think that she needed to get it out of her system, all right? Sometimes you gotta rage in order to move on."_

_"Did you love her?"_

_"No." This time, Alex wasn't smiling. Then she looked at Taylor, looked into her eyes, and told her something that she's never told anyone before, except probably her mom. "But I love you."_

_Alex never thought that she would one day feel this for someone. The first time she saw Piper, she knew there was something about her but at that moment, she didn't know what it was. All she knew was that from that moment on, she couldn't take her mind off of her anymore. Piper was different from every other girl she's gone out with, or any other person she knew for that matter._

_And now she was madly in love with her._

_"You do?"_

_Alex shyly smiled. It wasn't usual for her to be this open to her feelings to anyone. But Piper wasn't just anyone. She was the person she loved so much._

_Piper had laid down, facing Alex. They stared at each other for a moment, while Alex's hand played with Piper's hair, while Piper gently brushed Alex's chin with her thumb._

_"I don't say that to everyone. You have to say it back." There was somehow a small fear within Alex that she had let Piper know what she felt without the latter feeling the same thing for her. Which was why she had said those words, afraid that she wouldn't say it back, after allowing herself to be vulnerable in front of her, even just at that moment._

_When Piper was just starting to go out with Alex, she thought it was just all for the adventure of it. She's never gone out with a girl before and she never thought she ever would. But Alex made her feel things she's never felt for anyone before. It wasn't just the sex, which was amazing, or the adventures, or the thrill of being with someone as authentic as her. It was everything about Alex that had drawn Piper to her._

_And she knew, that even if Alex hadn't told her to say it back, she would. Because she felt it, too._

_"I love you, too."_

-o-o-o-

**Laura's POV**

It was at that scene when Alex admitted that she loved Piper when I had given a thought whether it was possible for that kind of love to actually exist. What Alex and Piper had was a very complex relationship, something that would always make anyone wonder why they were still together or why they always went back to each other's arms every damn time no matter how much they had screwed up.

What Taylor and I had on the other hand, was a lot less complicated. We were two friends who fell in love and that was it. When we got together, it wasn't so much as a choice of whether it was her or another person. It had always been her. It was a choice between wanting to go through with it in spite of everything that I'd always thought of myself or letting us be the people that we were to each other before we got together, just friends.

It wasn't a hard choice, really. I didn't even think about it. I loved her and I wanted to be with her. But I was stupid enough not to think that that person wasn't who I was. I overthink. I probably had always been tough in the exterior, but deep down, I was always scared. I'm not sure why I was even allowed to be in any relationships in the first place.

Now, I'd probably lost Taylor forever. Not just as my girlfriend, but as my friend. I should be okay with that, this was my choice, anyway. But why does it feel like someone is boring a hole right in my chest right now? I feel broken, like something is missing in my life right now.

But this was my choice. And I deserve every pain that I'm feeling right now. But no matter how I feel, it doesn't really matter anymore. I've made my decision and I'm not changing it. I just have to man up and stand by it.

Even if every second of it feels like I'm slowly dying inside.

**A/N:**

**So, I've just added something Vauseman-related. I've always wanted to do that. Lol. Speaking of Vauseman, I did a one-shot fic, it's entitled Oblivion. If you can check it out, it would mean a lot to me. And I'd also really like what you think of it, in case you decide to give it a try. Thank you! =)**

**Guest (heavy chapter), more heavy chapters ahead! Sorry.**

**moanzs, I'm so sorry for breaking your heart. =( No cliffhangers here! Do I at least get a brownie point for that? Haha! And thank you for your review on Oblivion! You really rock =)**

**Gutted guest, Sorry! There'll be happy chapters soon! But not soon enough tho lol**

**vausemanforever, Shouldn't give out any spoilers, should I? Haha.**

**Explosiosinthesky, Here's your update! =)**

**Guest who asked why I did it, had to happen to keep the story going, I guess. Not good enough reason, but it's the only thing I can say. Lol.**

**jo michael, Well good that you're surprised! Lol, and I'm glad you still loved it! Thank you! =)**

**FFChik, Yeah, well some people are just too naive like that haha. =) Sorry if this disappointed you in any way, tho =( =)**

**OMG Why Guest, uhm *hides out in one corner* peace yo =)**

**stargatejumper10, So sorry for breaking your heart!**

**Guest from Amsterdam, Hi there! I'm so sorry! And yeah, more painful chapters to come but I'll make it up to you guys!**

**dutchlover, I'm so sorry! *does Piper's bambi eyes look* Here's the update!**

**Still really overwhelmed by your responses, thanks you guys! I will throw my pie for all of you in a heartbeat.**


	20. Chapter 20 - Home Is Where The Heart Is

**Chapter 20 – Home Is Where The Heart Is**

It wasn't usual for Taylor to miss work, even if she was sick or there was something important that came up. She valued her work so much that she wanted to give her all to the job that had given her so much. If she had no other choice but to miss it, she would call Jenji to let her know and make up for it as soon as she could.

But when she woke up that day, a day that she was supposed to have a table read for the next episode of OITNB with the rest of the cast, she had no desire to leave her bed or even move at all. She did not reach for her phone to tell anyone that she couldn't make it to work. She wasn't planning on talking to anyone today, or the next few days, however long she needed to get her shit back together.

After about an hour after she was supposed to be at Jenji's office, she had about 20 missed calls and a ton of text messages from people she didn't bother to know who. She wasn't sure if Laura had already told them about what happened, but knowing her, she probably still had not. She didn't really care. She was void of all emotions.

She had spent the past two days crying, and thinking of how to get over this damn thing. And she was exhausted. She wanted it to stop... the pain that was eating her up. She just wanted to curl up all day and tune out the rest of the world from her.

When her phone had rung again, then again, then again, she got so pissed that she took it and answered it without bothering to see who was calling. "You know, when someone doesn't pick up, it kind of means she doesn't want to talk," she said, annoyed.

"Hey, Taylor?"

When Taylor realized who had called her, she suddenly felt bad that she had snapped at her. It was Uzo. "H-hey, Uzo. Hi. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay. What happened? Why didn't you come to work today? Laura isn't here, too. Did something happen between you two?" Uzo said without any pauses.

Taylor was surprised to know that Laura didn't go to work, too. Like her, she never missed work. "Uhh, nothing. Everything's fine."

"I know it isn't." If there was another person that knew her enough, it was Uzo. "Look, I'll just tell Jenji that you're sick so you missed work today, okay? I'll come to your house after this is over. We'll talk about whatever's happening to you."

She felt grateful that Uzo was concerned about her but Taylor really wasn't in the mood to talk today. And she wasn't ready to recall everything that had happened yet. It was too painful and she didn't want to feel the pain again, even just for today.

"Uzo... thank you. I appreciate it. But I'd really like to be alone today. I hope you understand."

Uzo kept quiet at the other end of the line for about a second before deciding to let Taylor be. "All right. But if you need anything, you can just give me a call, okay?"

"Yes. Thank you. Love you. Bye."

Just as Taylor was supposed to put her phone down, it had started ringing again. It was her mom. She considered ignoring the call but decided against it.

"Mom..."

"Taylor, can you come over please?"

"I can't, Mom." Taylor knew she should know better than to go to her Mom's place today. She didn't need any more drama than she already had. "I have work today."

"But you're always working. I can't even remember the last time I saw you."

"You don't remember because you don't really pay attention." Taylor rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing, Ma. What do you want me to do? Leave my work to go see you? There are other days. I'll just come visit you then. Just, not now. I've got a lot going on."

"Yes, but on those days, you spend your time with your girlfriend and her family. What about me? I haven't even met her yet. I'd like to know her."

Taylor found it ironic that her mom suddenly had an interest in Laura when they weren't together anymore. But she didn't wanna tell her that. She wouldn't understand anyway. "Mom, I really can't."

"Taylor, honey. Please?"

She wanted to keep saying no. But then she realized that maybe it was better to go visit her mom. Maybe it would keep her mind off things right now. Her mom was probably gonna replace them with some other things that'd drive her insane but she could handle that a lot better than what she's going through with Laura right now. She then sighed. "Fine. I'll go."

-o-o-o-

Taylor arrived at her Mom's place a few hours later. "Is Sam here?"

"He was here a few days ago. I don't know when he'd be back, though. Did you eat? I prepared something."

"Not starving, Mom. I'm gonna go to my bed, okay?"

Patricia noticed that Taylor was different today. She knew her daughter had never been really excited about being here every time she was. She didn't blame her, though. It was her fault that Taylor was never close to her. But she had tried reaching out, and failed all the time... until she just stopped.

"Taylor, you're rarely here. And when you do come, all you do is stay in your bed. I prepared something to eat, and I'd really want you to join me."

Taylor had no strength to argue with her mother today so she sighed and said, "Fine. I'm just gonna go freshen up for a bit then I'll come down."

She went inside her room and slumped down on her bed. She snapped her eyes shut but even then, she still saw Laura. She opened her eyes again. It was killing her how much she missed her. Absentmindedly, she held on to the necklace she was wearing. This was the gift Laura gave her last Christmas. They were still so happy back then. Now, that was all just a blur.

Before she realized it, tears were rolling down her cheeks again.

She abruptly stood up, and wiped the tears away, quite hardly. She wasn't going to cry anymore. This was the last time. So she breathed deeply, and stood up. Then, as if it was the only thing that was keeping her back, that was keeping her from finally leaving everything behind, she took the necklace off.

Now, it was time to face her mother.

-o-o-o-

They were eating and having conversation... if you could call that a conversation. Patricia would ask a question and then Taylor would answer and that was it. She had no plans of keeping the conversation going. She just wanted to finish her food then go straight to bed and stay there all day.

But her mom had other plans. "So, how are you and your girlfriend? What was her name again, Laura?"

At the mention of Laura's name, Taylor had suddenly lost her appetite. But as she had sworn to herself she wasn't going to talk about this with anyone. And even if she would, her mom would still be an exception. "We're fine."

"Why didn't you bring her today? I wanted to meet her." Taylor did not answer. Instead, she kept putting food in her mouth, just to have a reason not to talk. "Well. I mean, it wouldn't make any difference anyway." Taylor just looked at her, raised her eyebrows as if asking 'why?' "There's really no point in meeting her, I think. It's not like this is a serious relationship. I mean, she's a woman for crying out loud!"

At this point, Taylor felt rage starting to consume her. "Really mom? You decide to be a homophobic now?"

"That's not my point, Taylor. I have no problem with gay people. I love them. My problem is my daughter who thinks she's in love with one of them when clearly, this is just a phase." Patricia said this as if it wasn't a big deal, which pissed Taylor even more.

"You think this is a phase?! Wow, you really know me so well, huh," Taylor said back, with a mocking tone.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Come on, what life is there for you both in the future anyway? What, you're just gonna have 'fun' your whole life? Whatever 'fun' means to you? I know you, Taylor. You want your own kids and a husband and your normal family. She's not gonna be able to give those to you."

Taylor stood up. She wasn't in the mood to be in this right now. She was too overwhelmed with her emotions that she knew she was gonna explode if she was gonna add this to everything that was screwing her up right now. Maybe it was a mistake to think that coming here was gonna make things better.

"You know what? I can't... I can't do this." She started walking away.

"Wait, but you haven't finished eating yet!"

"I've lost my appetite."

"Why, just because I told you the truth? That this relationship is not gonna work anyways? I'm just worried about you, Taylor. I don't want you to be in something that's just gonna hurt you in the end. She's just gonna hurt you, so you have to get out of it before it's too late."

Taylor stopped walking and she looked back at her mother. "You wanna know the truth? I don't have to get out of anything anymore because it's over! Are you happy now? We broke up, Mom! And yes, you're right. This is gonna hurt me in the end. It does! It's hurting me like fucking crazy because I fucking love her! More than I have ever loved anyone in my entire life. And just so you know, that includes you. So congratulations, mother. You've finally gotten something right for the first time in your whole life as my mom." With that, she walked away.

-o-o-o-

Taylor had been crying inside her room for what felt like hours when someone knocked. She knew it was her mom so she didn't bother answering. But she had forgotten to lock the door so her mom had gotten in anyways.

"Taylor, honey, can we talk, please?"

"There's nothing to talk about. I wanna be alone. Please leave."

But instead of doing what she was told, Patricia sat at the edge of Taylor's bed. Even if she couldn't see her face, she knew that her daughter was crying. It had been a long time since she'd seen Taylor this vulnerable. She didn't realize that the person she thought was just an 'adventure' for her daughter was actually someone she really cared about, and loved.

"I'm sorry," she started. "I didn't know..."

"Yeah, what do you know, Mom?"

"I know that I am not in the position to give you any advice after everything that I have done to you... and failed to do for you. But I also know what it feels like to be left alone by the person you love the most. I've been there, honey. And it was the most painful thing I've ever had to go through. It felt like things were never going to be the same anymore, without him... without your father. I lost all the will to live." She paused, unsure if it was right to say what she was about to say. "Which is why I've also become the most terrible mother in the world." She smiled but it did not reach her eyes. Taylor still had her back on her but she knew she was listening. "This isn't going to be easy. But you're a strong woman. I know you're gonna go through this." She stood up and kissed Taylor on the head. "And you know what? People who are meant for each other always, always find a way to still be together in the end. Maybe you think this is a cliché but it's true." Then she made her way to the door. But before she went out, she gave Taylor one last glance. And as softly as she could, she whispered. "I love you, Taylor."

**A/N:**

**So, first of all, thank you for anyone here who has read Oblivion and gave out reviews! I heart you, people. =)**

**moanzs, Hey, no cliffhanger again! I'm getting better at this. Haha. Yeah, sad chapters have to happen, unfortunately. Yeah of course I'll keep your suggestion in mind, thank you!**

**stargatejumper1, Maybe we'll get there, maybe we won't. Won't be giving out any spoilers. Haha. But I agree that Taylor and Laura are cute together! And hot!**

**Shepherdinha, Oh thank you! And the reason is her being kind of scared and all that stuff, but year, we'll get more into that. Thanks for the review!**

**sweetlikevanillais, *crosses fingers they come sooner* *wink wink***

**jo michael, thank you for all the great reviews on every chapter. You're awesome!**

**FFChik, That is so true! Thank you very much =)**

**Guest from Amsterdam, Hi again! Maybe I can get a name next time? I love your reviews! =) Thank you very much! =)**


	21. Chapter 21 - Living in Hell

Chapter 21 – Living in Hell

After the 'talk' that her mother gave her, Taylor surprisingly felt a lot better. Sure, they weren't still as okay as any mother and daughter should be, but they were both at a whole new other place now, where they didn't want to rip each other's throats anymore whenever they would see each other. And it was good. She knew it was only a matter of time before they would totally be fine. She looked forward to that day.

If there's one day that she wasn't looking forward to, though, it was this day.

No matter how much Taylor didn't want to see Laura too soon after their break up, they both worked together so it was impossible and she knew that. But it still didn't remove the fact that she was so nervous today, more than she'd ever been. She wasn't even sure if that was the right word for what she was feeling right now.

Today, she was going to shoot a scene with Laura. She was up almost all night thinking of how she was gonna go through this scene. When she couldn't come up with anything, she just closed her eyes and wished that the next day wouldn't come.

But it had to. And now she was on the set of Orange, waiting for her next scene, dreading what was gonna happen if they saw each other again. More so, if they needed to kiss each other, and a whole lot more physical than that, and show how much they loved each other, which was what their upcoming scene was demanding.

It was when Uzo came and sat with her. "Hey, how you doing?"

Taylor just smiled. She didn't want to tell anyone else yet about what happened to her and Laura but then she realized they were going to find out anyway so she just decided to tell Uzo about it. "Laura and I broke up." It was still painful just talking about it.

"What?!" asked Uzo, surprised. "Why? What happened?"

Taylor shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know." She paused. When she saw that Uzo was about to open her mouth again to say something, she cut her off. "I'd really appreciate it if we don't talk about it yet, for now. I mean, it's still hard." Taylor looked down because she didn't want Uzo to see the pain that flickered through her eyes.

Uzo nodded. "I understand." She then held Taylor's hands. "I'm here for you, okay? All of us. Whenever you're ready to talk about it, and you feel the need to do so, I'm just here. I got your back, sweetheart."

"I know." She smiled genuinely. "Thank you." She hugged her.

-o-o-o-

When Laura saw Taylor arrive today, she immediately went inside one of the trailers and locked herself in there. She wasn't ready for them to see each other yet. Everything that had happened was still freshly etched in her mind. If this was hurting her like crazy, she knew Taylor was feeling the pain twice as much. And she hated herself for that.

After Taylor left, she went to bed and buried herself on her pillows, wanting to drown out everything that she was feeling at that time. She couldn't cry and it made everything worse. Because she couldn't let the pain out. It felt like there was an iron fist inside her, squeezing and twisting her insides, in a terrible fucking way.

And then she realized that the woman she loved so much was gone from her life now. She was never going to arrive home from work again to see her waiting for her. She wasn't going to wake up to her beautiful face anymore. She wasn't gonna feel her lips on hers... her touch. And it was more than she could take.

So that night, she drank all her sorrows away. She wanted to forget. She wanted to disappear into her own world, a place where she wouldn't be able to think of Taylor and how much she was gonna miss her and how much her life was gonna suck so badly without her in it. And she did forget.

But when she woke up the next day, the pain was there again. And that's when she knew that it was never going away, no matter what she did. She was gonna live with this pain for the rest of her life and she couldn't blame anyone because she had brought this upon herself.

Last night, she had read her script for the thousandth time. It worried her because she did not know how she was gonna do the scene with Taylor. She knew she was gonna mess this up. And she felt terrible thinking how it would make Jenji feel and the rest of the staff and crew who were clearly gonna be affected by this, too.

She thought of going up to Taylor and talk to her about the scene but as soon as it came to her mind, she found it ridiculous to even think that it was gonna work. Taylor probably hated her now. She wouldn't wanna talk to her unless they were already doing the scene. She just had to find some other way to get through today.

Just thinking about it, she knew it was going to be a long day.

-o-o-o-

Everyone was inside the set, taking instructions from Jenji for the day's work. Taylor and Laura did all they could to avoid each other and everyone noticed that. No one said anything about it, though.

Except Natasha.

"Hey, love birds!" Natasha said when she noticed them sitting way too far from each other. Both of them looked at her at the same time. "What's going on with you two, huh?"

Taylor just smiled, but it was a forced one. Laura, on the other hand, just looked away.

Natasha, still waiting for an answer, looked around. She then saw Uzo, who was just behind Taylor, shaking her head frantically at her. "Oh..." she said to herself. "Uzo, wanna come with me outside?" She walked towards the door and Uzo followed her.

"Bravo at the subtlety Lyonne," said Uzo when they were already outside.

"What on earth is going on with those two?"

"Well... they broke up."

"They what?!" asked Natasha, a little too loudly causing Uzo to shush her. "What do you mean they broke up?" she asked again, this time, a lot softer.

"They did. I don't really know when because Taylor wouldn't say anything else other than that."

"So you talked to her, huh? How about Laura?"

"I haven't yet. I was kind of hoping you'd do it? Maybe she'd tell you what happened?"

"Oh, I will. But I doubt she'd tell me anything more than what Taylor told you. All right then, I'm gonna go talk to her." She patted Uzo's back as she went back inside, hurriedly. She still found it hard to believe that her friends have broken up. She needed to hear it from them so she could believe it. She found Laura away from everyone, reading her script. "Yo, Prepon!"

Laura looked at her and smiled, acting as if nothing was wrong. "Hey. I'm rereading our scene for later. Ready to beat the shit out of me?" she laughed. She was talking about the scene where Nicky was supposed to strangle Alex.

But that was way too far from Natasha's mind right now. "Oh believe me, I am. What the hell's going on?"

Laura still tried to act as if she didn't know what Natasha's really talking about. "Oh, I don't know. Nichols is supposed to be really mad at Alex and all that."

Natasha glared at her. "You know what I'm talking about."

Laura put her script down. "Look, I know that you're probably just concerned about us..."

"Oh no, I just really wanna gossip around."

Laura tried to smile. "And that, too. And I appreciate it, that you like to look out for us. I really do. But we're gonna be fine. We're just gonna have to deal with this on our own. In the mean time, I'm really, really not yet comfortable talking about it. I hope you understand."

As much as Natasha wanted to help them, she respected Laura... and of course Taylor. Laura was right. She had to let them deal with it themselves. "Of course, I do. I just wanted to know if you were okay." Laura bowed and didn't say anything. "Damn, of course, you're not okay. I'm sorry, it was stupid of me to ask."

"Hey, I'm gonna be fine. Don't worry about it, girl."

"Are you sure?" Laura just nodded. "Okay, I want you to know that I'm here. Whenever you need me. Even if that means three o'clock in the morning. Okay, Prepon?"

Laura smiled again, this time it was a genuine one. "Yeah. Thank you."

-o-o-o-

Laura still didn't know how she and Taylor were gonna make it through their scene today. It was just a little scene, but it needed them to show how much Alex and Piper loved each other. And not just through words, it was a very physical and intimate scene, a lot of touching. Taylor couldn't even look at her now, how were they going to do the scene?

She was so engrossed on her thoughts when Jenji went to where she was. "Got a minute?"

"Oh, yeah of course! You know I can have a whole day just for you, Jenji." She smiled.

"Good." She paused. "Wait, what? Just a day?" Both she and Laura chuckled and then she looked around. "Taylor?" She then called out to Taylor, who was on the other side of the room.

Taylor slowly walked towards them.

"There's some changes about your scene. We're not yet going to shoot it today."

"What? Why?" asked Taylor, unsure of whether to feel relieved or not. They were gonna go through this scene any other way so maybe it was better if they just got it done and over with.

"We're going to shoot Red's scene first, something came up. I'm not going to bother you with any of the boring details anymore, though. Let's go to the trailer for a while." Jenji started walking towards one of the trailer trucks. If she already knew about Taylor and Laura's break up, she wasn't showing it.

When they reached the trailer, she sat. She noticed the two were just standing, though. Far from each other. "No plans of sitting?"

"We're fine." It was Laura who answered.

"This might be a while."

So both had no choice but to sit down... but still far from each other.

"I heard about what happened to the two of you." Jenji went straight ahead. She was known as someone who wouldn't beat around the bush. "You both know how much I care about you two. And I feel terrible that this had to happen."

She looked at them and was saddened seeing them so differently from the first time she'd seen them together. At that time, even if they still weren't together as a couple, they had so much chemistry you would doubt if they really were just friends. They would just be standing together and not do anything but you couldn't help but feel giddy.

But now, the air was filled with so much tension, and Jenji could see the pain in both their eyes. And it hurt Jenji, too. She treated these two women like her own children and she didn't want seeing them this way.

"But I don't wanna meddle. So if that's your decision, I'm going to respect it. All of us will. And I also want you to know that if ever you feel the need to talk about... anything, at all, I'm just here. I know it is not my place to ask or say anything about what happened, so I'll just leave it at that. And also, I know that you are both professionals, and that you are going to do everything just to not let any of this affect your work... right?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Yeah, you can trust us on that."

Laura and Taylor said in unison.

"Good! So we're settled then." She stood up and both Laura and Taylor did the same. "Oh no, no," Jenji said shaking her head, motioning them to stay where they were.

"What?" asked Laura, confused as to what Jenji meant. "I thought we were done?"

"Oh, I was. But you're not. You told me you're going to do everything... so I'm both leaving you here to talk. You've barely glanced at each other's way the whole day. You're gonna have to get past that in order to do your next scene together... And unless you do that, you are not getting out of here."

Jenji walked out and closed the door behind her.

**A/N:**

**I apologize for the cliffhanger! I swear it'll be worth it when you read the next chapter... or not. Haha.**

**ugh guest, i couldn't agree more with Tay's mom reiterating Laura's fears. So maybe next chapter is a little more like your request. I hope you'd like that one =)**

**Guest who asked about the Wattpad thingy, Yes, I am that same writer =)**

**moanzs, whoah sorry! And sorry for the cliffhanger. And sorry for next chapter. Haha.**

**Guest, Please don't cry =(**

**FFChik, I'm sorry =( A little heads up that a few more chapters are gonna be a little tough on the heart**

**Guest, I think your review was for Chapter 9 I hope you've reached this chapter already. Thank you! =)**

**jo michael, Thank you for that wonderful review! You make me blush. Haha. And about Oblivion, I have decided to make that a multi-chapter but I haven't written anything yet (because of stupid exams) Thank you! Love you back =)**

**Marijn! Yey, finally a name! =) Thank you for your review. I think season 3 will be really awesome, I can't wait to see how they're gonna deal with the return of Alex. Tbh, I'm most excited with her story especially after seeing the trailer. I love Laura Prepon so much it kinds hurts a bit. Haha. And yes, Vauseman forever!**

**Thanks again awesome people of the OITNB fandom! You really are the most hilarious and most amazing fandom I've ever had the privilege to join. Love you all! xo**


	22. Chapter 22 - Inside the Trailer

**Chapter 22 – Inside the Trailer**

**A/N: Here's another update because I can't wait for you to see this chapter. For some reason, this is my favourite chapter of all so I'd really wanna know how you think about it. Read away!**

**-o-o-o-**

_Laura and Taylor were in bed, watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._

"_I'm starving," complained Taylor. "Can't we go eat something first? Please?"_

"_Yes, we can. But then that wouldn't be watching the whole franchise of Harry Potter in one sitting anymore. We'd have failed. "_

"_But we've gone to the bathroom numerous times! How is getting food any different?"_

"_Because then we'd be going together. That's how it's different. One of us has to stay here."_

"_Laura, you do know that this is crazy, yes?" Taylor shook her head._

"_I know it's crazy. That's why it's fun." Laura laughed. "Just go get us some food. We can eat here."_

"_Fine." Taylor stood up. "What are we trying to prove anyway?"_

"_That we can stay in a room for hours straight without making out. Then our relationship isn't going to be just about that anymore."_

_Taylor laughed. "Baby, who said anything like that? We are people who are in love with each other who also happen to like making out... and making love. There's nothing wrong with that."_

"_I know. I'm sorry." Laura shook her head, too. "Five hours straight in front of a television makes me think crazy."_

_Again, Taylor laughed. She could be in one room with Laura for a whole day and not do anything and still would be okay. As she'd told her before, anywhere with Laura was her happy place. That wasn't changing ever._

-o-o-o-

It had been ten minutes since Jenji walked out of the room but both Laura and Taylor hadn't said a word yet. Taylor just kept reading her script while Laura fidgeted uncomfortably on her seat. She kept glancing at Taylor's way, but the blonde was too fixated on the paper she was holding. Laura knew they had to start what Jenji told them to do or they're gonna have a time way worse than this. Jenji was nice and all but she hated it when her instructions weren't followed.

"Look..." she started talking, hoping Taylor would finally look at her, but she didn't move at all or even just acknowledged that Laura had spoken. "If we want to get out of here soon, we better follow Jenji's instructions and start talking." Still, Taylor stayed still. "I know you're mad—"

This time, Taylor looked at her, void of any emotion on her face. "Or..." she cut her off, "...we can just stay quiet for a few more minutes, or an hour tops, and then get out of here, tell Jenji we're done talking, get our shit together, do the scene and then that's it." She looked back at her script again.

"You know Jenji, she's gonna know." Laura didn't know if Taylor was indeed too focused on reading her script or she's just found a way to brilliantly act as if she couldn't see or hear Laura at all. "Taylor... I'm sorry..."

Taylor finally looked at her again, but not with a blank face anymore. At that moment, she looked with so much loathing, or that's how it looked to Laura. She was still calm, but Laura could see how much she was trying to keep herself from losing it. "You're the one who pushed me out of your life, Laura. So don't you dare tell me that you're fucking sorry. Because you're not. Not one fucking bit!"

Laura knew that it was her fault but it still hurt her so much to see Taylor look at her this way. She thought that ignoring her was going to be the worst part of all of this. She was clearly wrong. "Please, don't do this." It was taking every part of her to stop herself from crying. Ever since, they broke up, she hadn't shed one tear. But with Taylor in front of her now, with a look of disgust on her face, as if seeing her was the worst that could ever happen to her, she knew it was only a matter of time before she couldn't hold the tears any longer.

"Don't do this?! You're telling ME that?" Taylor had stood, and she was no longer calm. She still kept her voice down as much as she could but her anger was way more evident now. "You're the one who broke up with me! You're the one who started all of this shit. This is all on you!"

-o-o-o-

_It was six o'clock in the morning. Laura had been trying to wake up Taylor for the nth time but all she did was open her eyes, groan, then close her eyes again._

"_Babe, get up. We're going to be late."_

"_But it's too early," Taylor complained with her eyes half-closed._

"_I know. And I'm sorry. But we have a table read today and if you don't get your ass up right now, Jenji is going to kill us. Come on." Laura started kissing Taylor's forehead... then her eyelids... then her nose... and then her cheeks. She then made a trail of little kisses from her cheek to her mouth, before giving her a smack on her lips. "Wake up, sweet thing.'' She continued to kiss her until she was kissing the side of Taylor's neck._

_Taylor let out a soft moan as she started feeling a hot sensation build inside her. "Keep doing that."_

_Laura then stopped, to the dismay of Taylor. "I will if you get up now, you lazy ass," chuckled Laura standing up._

"_Hey!" Taylor then opened her eyes. "Come back here!" she pouted._

"_Get up and take a shower. I'm gonna go prepare breakfast," Laura said with an evil smile on her face before taking the stairs._

"_You can be such a bitch sometimes, you know?" yelled Taylor so Laura can hear her. When she heard Laura's laugh, she shook her head and then smiled. It was always nice waking up to her girlfriend's face._

-o-o-o-

For the thousandth time, Laura tried convincing Taylor to just talk to her, even not as friends, just as actors who were instructed to do something for the sake of their show. She had tried all angles but Taylor still wouldn't budge.

"Okay. I know it's the morning and you hate mornings. I'm just going to attribute this attitude to that." She knew that it wasn't. It was way deeper than that but she couldn't admit it to herself knowing that Taylor was right, this was all on her.

"Yeah, I hate mornings plus you're here. Could my day get any worse?" said Taylor in a mocking tone.

Exasperated, Laura groaned. "I am so tired of your shit, Taylor! I'm trying to claw myself back in your life, here. If you don't want me to, then fine! Do whatever the hell you want!"

"Are you serious right now?! You're trying to claw yourself back in my life?! By what?! By convincing me to follow Jenji's instructions?! Are you kidding me?!" She breathed deeply, looked away for about a second then looked back at Laura. "And you were the one who got out of it in the first place! Now you're acting all mad and shit. Wow, Laura. That's some fucked up mind you have there."

"Do you think this is easier on my side because I was the one who broke it off?! It fucking kills me being the one who's doing the hurting! I broke up with you not because I wanted to hurt you but because I thought that this was not gonna work anyways. You said so yourself—"

"When did I ever say that?!" Taylor cut her off.

"Will you let me talk?!"

Taylor shut up then looked away, still fuming with anger, because after all the crying she'd done, that's the only emotion she allowed herself to feel now. She couldn't handle any more than that.

Laura sighed. This time, she was a lot calmer. "I'm sorry. I know you don't believe me but I fucking am! I broke up with you not because I wanted you out of my life. I know it sounds crazy but it's the truth. I did it because I had to stop lying to myself that this was going somewhere."

"What made you so sure that it wasn't?!" Taylor exclaimed, not understanding how Laura was so keen on believing that their relationship was already doomed even if it wasn't.

"Does it still really matter now? It's over, isn't it? But you know what? I thought that we cared enough for each other not to let this thing ruin our friendship. I guess I was wrong."

"I can't fucking believe you just said that." Taylor laughed. But it was hollow. "People who care don't do what you just did, Laura. If you really gave a crap about me, I wouldn't be feeling this fucking gnawing pain in my fucking chest right now! If you really did care for me..." Taylor hadn't gone on with what she was about to say because tears were starting to form in her eyes. And before she could even blink, they had started dropping, one by one.

-o-o-o-

_Laura and Taylor just had dinner. They were both curled up on Taylor's couch._

"_Can you believe how far we've gone from that first moment we met?" asked Taylor, smiling as she reminisced the time when she first Laura."Who would have thought that we'd actually end up together?"_

"_I know what you feel," Laura smiled, too. "But it turned out just fine, didn't it? I mean, this feels so right to me. Does it feel right to you?"_

"_It does. More than any relationship I have ever had, actually... combined."_

"_Really? Wow, that's a lot of pressure on me," Laura joked._

"_It's true. Which is probably why it feels a million times more challenging to make this work, you know? Because I don't wanna ever ruin it."_

"_We both know this isn't going to be easy, babe. Every freaking relationship is never easy. But we're going to make this work. I, on my part, will do anything not to fuck this up. I promise I won't leave you. I'm not giving up on this."_

-o-o-o-

No matter how Taylor acted, she had still hoped that this wasn't over. That maybe, Laura would come to her senses and realize that it was wrong for them to break up. But after hearing what she just said, she knew that it really was over. And she wasn't prepared for the emotions that had flooded her afterwards.

"You know, I don't know how to live a life without you in it. Every time I wake up in the morning, I lose all the reason to get up knowing I wouldn't be with you. I sleep at night and you're still the last person in my mind. I can't help but think about every detail of you over and over and over again. I torture myself repeating every good time that we've shared because I know that's all I have left of you now."

Taylor looked at Laura and tears were now streaming down her face. "But I have to. That's why I am trying so damn hard to live through every minute of it ever since you broke up with me. Because it fucking hurts so much, Laura." She looked away and wiped her tears. But might as well she didn't because they kept flowing anyway.

"And I feel like my whole body is starting to give up on me. I don't even know how I got here today." This time she was looking down, feeling like someone was choking the life out of her because she couldn't breathe. It hurt so much to do so. "I'm just trying to fight it, you know? Because I feel so fucking pathetic feeling this. Because I can see you, and you seem like you're doing just fine."

Laura was now crying, too. It felt like there was a fist clenched at her heart, squeezing it so hard. She had never felt this pain ever in her life, and it felt as if it was eating her alive. But she couldn't even look at Taylor anymore. It was killing her to see her like this. She wanted to run to her, wrap her arms around her and tell her that she was there and that she wasn't leaving her again... that she was sorry... that it was stupid what she'd done. But that wasn't going to happen anymore. Because Taylor hated her now. And she's hurt her so much she wouldn't give herself another chance to hurt her again.

"You told me you were never leaving me. Have you forgotten? You told me you weren't going to give up. You promised." Taylor wiped her tears away and stood up, looking defeated. And then she breathed deeply. "Okay. Now, we've talked. Is that enough for you now?" When Laura didn't say anything, Taylor started walking towards the trailer's door, seemingly dragging her feet. She opened the door and just before she walked out of the trailer, she looked at Laura one last time. "Don't ever expect me to be your friend again. Because right now, I don't even want to look at you anymore." Then she stepped out.

**A/N:**

**So, there you have it guys! Reviews will be very much appreciated =)**

**moanzs, lol don't take away my brownie point, I live for that! **

**Shepherdinha, Thanks girl! =)**

**stargatejumper10, hope you like how this turned out =)**

**Brbara, Yeah, who doesn't love a little drama, right? Thank you! =)**

**Tinyguitarist, I see you've followed me on Wattpad. Haha. Thank you! =)**

**FFChik, Sooooo... what do you think of this chapter? =)**

**Marijn, I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger! But hey, early update. So that can make up for it, right? Oh, I haven't seen it yet actually. I will see to it that I watch that later. Thank you! =)**

**Naomi, Thanks for the concern, girl! Love you! xo**


	23. Chapter 23 - Scene Rehearsal

**Chapter 23 – Scene Rehearsal**

When Taylor got out of the trailer, she immediately went to Jenji. She noticed how the creator of the show appeared surprised seeing her that way. But she didn't care. "Jenji, we did what you told us. We're done talking."

Jenji knew that it wasn't the kind of talk she wanted them to have but understood that it wasn't going to be easy for both of them. They loved each other way too much. To have something that was so important taken away from you was something that needed time to cope with. And maybe she was rushing things when she thought they could handle doing what she's made them do now.

"Oh... good! I'll have you go home now, then."

"Go home?" asked Taylor, surprised. "But I still have another scene that needed to be shot."

"It's okay. I'll just give you the rest of the day off."

"Jenji, it's okay. I'm fine." Taylor was a professional and she knew better than to let whatever's going on in her personal life affect her co-workers. "What was the point of all of that talk if we're not gonna go through with this today?"

Jenji smiled. "Taylor, you can keep saying that to yourself, that you're fine. If that's how you wanna cope with this, to lie to yourself about how you really feel, then it's fine with me. But we both know that you're not okay. And I'm not some monster who would torture you by letting you do this today, okay? I care about you and right now, this seems like the right thing to do." Taylor didn't say anything after that so Jenji went on. "I'll let you know when the next shooting day is gonna be."

"Jenji, I don't want anything that's happening to me and... L-Laura right now to affect our work, and everybody's work. You know we're better than that. We can do this."

"Yes, I know that. But not today. And we all understand. Believe me."

Taylor and Laura's characters' relationship was one of the main plot points of their show. Jenji knew how amazing as actresses Taylor and Laura were, but even the best of the bests would need some time for themselves if they were going through what her main stars were going through right now. To cut them some slack was all she could do to help.

"So please, just go home and have some rest and we'll see each other in a few days, okay?"

-o-o-o-

Jenji did the same thing for Laura. She, too, was surprised but asked less questions than Taylor. She just did whatever Jenji told her, thanked her and left.

Jenji gave her and Taylor one week to themselves. She felt bad that this had to get in the way of their work but also thankful that Jenji and the rest of the cast and crew understood.

Thinking that being alone wouldn't help Laura with what she was going through, she spent the whole week with her girl friends, Jodi and the rest of the gang. All of them were shocked when they found out about this but knew Laura enough to know that they shouldn't pry about what happened. So they just did everything for Laura to forget about Taylor for a while, even if that proved to be the most challenging things ever.

Laura was grateful that her friends never left her side the whole time. She knew they tried hard to make her forget, but no matter what they'd do, she couldn't get Taylor out of her mind. She chose not to tell them that, though. So instead of showing them how miserable she was feeling, she acted like she was okay.

But she was far from okay. Because she missed Taylor so much. She could not process the fact that she thought this was the right thing to do, and yet somehow she felt like a fucking monster for hurting the woman she loved so much. And this was making her every damn day feel like the worst day of her life.

-o-o-o-

After a week, Taylor and Laura went back to work. It was just the two of them, though and some of the crew. They were just gonna rehearse their scene which they would be shooting the next day.

When they arrived on set, they ignored each other, and wouldn't even look at each other's way. Maybe one week would never be enough for them to get over this, but at least now they were ready to do their work.

The start of the scene needed Laura as Alex and Taylor as Piper to kiss each other, softly at first until it got a lot steamier. Usually, the director and Jenji would be very technical about it, but this time, to both Laura and Taylor's surprise, the only instruction given to them was to "do what you gotta do."

So when the director yelled "Action!" they forgot everything that was happening to them and got into the shoes of Alex and Piper.

As Alex, Laura needed to be the aggressor, so she cupped Taylor's cheek and looked into her eyes. She started rubbing circles with her thumb on Taylor's cheek and ever so slowly pressed her lips onto hers. She nipped at her bottom lip gently causing Taylor to draw a sharp breath. She continued kissing her, as her left hand went at the back of Taylor and pulled her closer to her. Taylor, on the other hand, entangled her fingers on Laura's hair as she pulled her for an even deeper kiss.

At that point, Laura had abandoned her character, and she knew Taylor had, too. They weren't Alex and Piper anymore. It was them, Laura and Taylor, kissing and feeling every bit of each other, holding on to each other as if they would lose each other again if they let go.

Laura was kissing Taylor like she's never kissed her before. She had slipped her tongue inside Taylor's mouth as she rubbed her hand over her breast and the blonde let out a guttural moan. She pulled her even closer to her and felt her hips slowly grinding against her.

She knew that there were almost 40 people around them, cameras, and eyes watching them. But she didn't care. She wouldn't care even if the whole world was watching. She missed Taylor so much and she was gonna make her feel that.

But then Taylor stopped moving and let go of her, dropping her arms to her side. And Laura was surprised when she suddenly felt that her cheeks were somehow wet. She pulled away from Taylor, just far enough to be able to see what was going on. And it felt like the whole world had fallen upon her when she saw tears streaming down Taylor's face. There were so much pain in her eyes and seeing that, she felt her eyes start to water, too.

She pressed her forehead against hers, and very softly she said, "I'm so sorry, Taylor. I really, really am." This time, she was crying, too. Because she knew, that no matter how many times she would kiss her, and hug her and hold her, she wouldn't be able to take the pain back. "If only I can take all the pain away, I'd take it all. And I'm so... so sorry that I can't."

Everyone around them couldn't move, or say anything. They just stayed still, watching them, hearts breaking because these were two people they cared about a lot and it pained them seeing them like this. And so even if they weren't in character anymore, they just let them be.

Taylor was already sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn't say anything back. All she could do was pull Laura to her, and hugged her so tightly, as if that was going to bring her back. She wanted to be with her again, she loved her so much and she could feel that Laura still felt the same thing she felt for her.

But there was something in that moment telling Taylor that this wasn't them trying to be back in each other's arms. This wasn't them trying to get back together. This was the two of them, properly saying goodbye to each other, letting each other know that this was indeed over, and that they both had to move on.

-o-o-o-

Taylor was inside what they called on the show as the Solitary Housing Unit. She was sitting at the floor, with her legs stretched forward and her back and head on the wall. After what happened during rehearsal today, she immediately ran away from everyone, and was relieved when she saw that she could stay at a place where no one was.

She felt so drained. After a week of almost feeling at peace, a week without tears, here she was again, at the same place where she was when Laura left her. She thought that she was finally starting to move on. But no, just one look at Laura and every control she thought she had of herself had melted away.

Then the door suddenly opened, with Laura standing there. Her eyes were red and puffy and for a second, Taylor wondered what she was crying about when she was the one who wanted this in the first place. Laura started making her way near Taylor, and then she sat beside her, copying her position. She had pulled back her head to press it against the wall, too. She was close enough but she felt so distant.

For a while, no one spoke. Until Taylor did.

"How did we get here, Laura? How could we allow something so beautiful be thrown away just like that?"

Laura breathed deeply. She wanted to tell Taylor that she didn't throw anything away. It was just herself who did that. But instead, she answered differently. "I don't know."

Again both kept quiet for a few minutes. And it was Taylor who broke the silence again.

"We can't just keep doing this, you know. We have work to do. Maybe they all understand us now, but sooner or later they're also gonna get tired of our shit. I am tired."

"I know. I am, too."

"So what do we do now, huh? Should we let this ruin everything that we've worked so hard for? Or should we just fight it and get on with our lives... whatever that means?"

Laura didn't answer immediately. She felt like there was so much to say, but she couldn't find the right words to say them. "Yeah, the latter sounds good."

Taylor slowly tilted her head to the side to look at Laura. She still had her head pressed against the wall but this time she had her eyes closed. "I'm sorry."

With that, Laura opened her eyes and looked back at Taylor creasing her eyebrows. "For what?"

"For everything."

Laura looked down. "You don't really need to apologize for anything, Taylor. You said it yourself, this is all on m—"

Taylor cut her off. "Just... don't. If we wanna get past this we should start doing something about it. You've apologized a lot of times, and now it's my turn to do so. We have to get over it, so we could go back to doing our jobs again... properly."

Laura nodded, biting her lower lip. "You're right." She paused. "So... do you think... it's possible for us to be friends again?"

This time, it was Taylor who looked down. But it was just for a second because she was looking at Laura again. "I want to, believe me I do. But I can't. I can't just be friends with you, Laura. At least not yet, and probably not sooner, too. It's... it's hard. It's hard to look at you, and know that that's all we're ever going to be. I'm gonna need some more time for that." Laura bowed again and Taylor could see that this wasn't the answer she was expecting. "But I can be civil... I hope you understand."

Laura did not know what to say at first, but then she realized that Taylor was right. She couldn't be just friends with her, too. She's in love with her and she probably would until god knows how long. She figured that she was probably just finding ways for her not to lose Taylor entirely because she did not know how to live with that. But it wasn't fair to Taylor. After all that she had done to hurt her, the least she could do was be fair to her. And she also knew that there was no way in hell that she would be able to move on if they tried to stay friends.

"You're right. I do. I understand."

For a moment, they just stared at each other, looking into each other's eyes. Then, as if they had spoken words, when in fact it was just a silent communication through their stares, they had closed the gap between them, and kissed each other. It was a soft, gentle kiss. And it lasted only for about three seconds.

"I love you, Laura."

"I love you, too, Taylor."

Laura then stood up, and then let out a long breath. She looked back down at Taylor and found her looking up at her, too, with a small smile, almost invisible, etched on her lips. And then she said, "Those months that we were together, they were the best months of my life."

Laura smiled, too. But it was gone as soon as it came out. "Me, too."

With that, she walked towards the door and then closed it.

It was probably the goodbye that they both needed.

Now, it was time to move on.

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! I just want to thank you again coz this fic has now reached more than 100 reviews and it's also close to having 100 followers. I can't say it enough but you people are the most awesome on earth! **

**TinyGuitarist, yes there are a lot of awesome stories there, too! Thank you! I'm now working on my new fic, hope you'd still be there to read it one day haha.**

**stargatejumper, 3**

**Shepherdinha, they just weren't ready for that yet. But they already did this chapter! Haha.**

**luuuandrade and HUHUHUHUHUHUHU guest, Sorry, you guys!**

**FFChik, Yeah, you can let this chapter be the judge for that. Haha. =)**

**Marijn, Thank you for another awesome review! You're amazing, too! I'm 23, how about you? =) Anyway, I haven't seen the video yet =( I can't find it. What it's called on youtube? Thanks!**

**moanzs, okay half a brownie point is better than nothing so I'll just accept that. Haha. My stories here and there are the same lol. Glad you love the flashbacks! Thank you for the review =)**


	24. Chapter 24 - Playing the Field

**Chapter 24 – Playing the Field**

It had only been a few days after the shooting of OITNB's fourth season had been wrapped. Natasha and Laura met up for lunch and it hadn't even been a full ten minutes when the former had already started almost yelling at Laura after hearing what she had to say.

"You're dating again? It hasn't even been two months yet and this is like the third guy you've gone out with!" Laura just told Natasha about this guy she met at the gym and how they were going on their second date tonight, and the latter evidently found that outrageous.

"Yeah, what did you expect me to do?"

"Uhm, let's see. Off the top of my head... uhhh, NOT date... at all?!"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Aside from the fact that you're still very much in love with Taylor?"

Laura did not expect this answer from Tasho. And for a moment she couldn't say anything back. "Tash, I'm trying to move on here."

"Why is there even a need to move on, anyway?!"

Natasha still couldn't get why her two friends had broken up. Of all the couples she knew, Laura and Taylor were the ones she knew were deeply in love with each other. Maybe that's why she was so pissed at Laura right now. She cared enough for them that she hated how things had gone for them.

"You know why. Besides, what do you want me to do if I meet a guy who's amazing and who seems like a really great company? I like this guy, I like spending time with him." She paused, then added. "He's funny."

"Really? You're going with the funny guy over your amazingly hot and gorgeous ex-girlfriend, whom, let me add, you're really in-love with?"

"Will you just stop it with that in-love thingy already?" Laura had been trying to avoid this truth for a while, but Tasho didn't seem to get that.

"What? Prepon, I know what you're trying to do here. You're trying to convince yourself that this is what's right. But, come on. I've kept my mouth shut for the first two guys. And so have everyone else. But sooner or later, Taylor is gonna find out. What do you think she'll feel when she finds out you're already going out with someone? That woman loves you more than anyone in the world." Laura did not say anything so Natasha went on. "You've hurt her enough when you broke up with her without any valid reason—"

This time, Laura cut her off. "Wait a minute, without any valid reason?"

"Yeah! And don't give me that 'you know this isn't going anywhere' bullshit. No one knows anything about what's gonna happen in the future. The only acceptable reason for you to break up is if you don't love her anymore, or if she cheats on you, or you cheat on her. Your reason? Unacceptable."

"You don't understand, okay?"

"Oh, believe me, I do. You're scared as shit. And you're a coward. Taylor's willing to fight for you both and you're not." Pause. "Oh, would you look at that? Maybe that can be a valid reason for you to break up, after all."

Shaking her head, Natasha left Laura.

-o-o-o-

It had been almost two months since Taylor and Laura broke up and the former had gotten so much better at being around her ex-girlfriend. There were still moments when things would get a little awkward but they were better acting around each other now than they were a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, they had not yet brought back their closeness before they became a couple. But even though there wasn't any explicit talk about it between the two of them, Taylor knew that she and Laura were both working on it, and she knew it was just a matter of time before they were back on track again.

Right now, she was watching her ex-girlfriend and Tasho do a scene. Even if filming was supposed to be over about a week ago, there had been some problem with production that they had to re-shoot an entire scene. She didn't know what to feel because when she thought that season 4 had been wrapped, she somehow felt a little relieved that they didn't need to be around each other anymore. Maybe fate had other plans.

While watching, she couldn't help but be amazed by how great Laura and Tasho's chemistry was together. It was always nice watching them do a scene because they clicked together and you could see how there wasn't any pretence between them.

But after their scene, she was surprised when both just walked away from each other, without any word. They would usually acknowledge how the other did great but now they did not even look at each other after the scene ended.

Natasha went towards where she was and sat next to her.

"Uhhh, what was that?" Taylor asked her questioningly.

"What?" Tasha asked, nonchalant.

"That. Do a scene. Walk away from each other without a word as if nothing happened. Did you think I wouldn't notice? Laura and I invented that. What happened to you two?"

"Nothing happened," answered Natasha, who wasn't her usual playful self. She was going over her script for her next scene but Taylor knew she wasn't actually paying attention to it.

"Don't tell me that you've started dating and now she's broken up with you?" She tried to get her to talk at her own expense. Wrong move.

"Oh," Natasha raised her eyebrow. "Glad you can make jokes about that now."

"It still hurts." Taylor chuckled a little. It still did. She was just handling it better now. "Come on, seriously, what's wrong?"

"Fiiiine. Well, I think... I _think_, she's mad at me because I called her a coward."

"You called her what?!" Natasha just shrugged. "Why would you do that?"

"Because it's the truth! She can't face the truth. Well, somebody had to slap her with it."

Taylor shook her head. "Tash, Laura's not a coward. She's just... I mean..."

"What? You know it's true, Tay."

"No. She's not. She's not a coward, okay? I don't know what it is, but it's not that." Taylor looked at Laura who was on the other side of the room. She was away from everybody, not bothering to talk to anyone. And she felt bad for her. "Come on, Tasho, you gotta start talking to her. I'm fine now. We both are. Please don't let whatever happened to our relationship affect yours."

-o-o-o-

Natasha had just gotten home. She had a really long day and she was excited to spend the rest of the night on her bed. So after freshening up, she went to her bed and slumped down lazily. Then her phone rang. "Hello? ... What?! What happened? ... What hospital? ... Okay, thanks for letting me know. I'm going there now."

She stood up, got her keys and went straight for her car. Laura was brought to the hospital.

-o-o-o-

She reached Laura's room in almost half an hour. When she got there, she was surprised that Laura was up and she looked better than she imagined. She was so relieved she let out a breath.

"Glad to see me alive, huh, kid?" asked Laura, smiling. She didn't know how she found out but she was happy Tasho was here.

"What on earth happened to you?"

"Oh," Laura rolled her eyes. "Stupid food poisoning."

"Food poisoning? What? Your boyfriend brought you some place terrible?"

Laura chuckled. "Well, first of all, he's not my boyfriend. That second date didn't even happen. It was a stupid idea. I thought playing the field would make it all better."

"Glad you're back to your senses." Laura just smiled but Natasha did not fail to notice that it was a sad one. "Look, I'm sorry. About what I told you the other day. You're not a coward. Hell, you were brave enough to let her go even if you knew it would hurt you like crazy. I'm sorry. All those times I thought it was only Taylor who was hurting. I didn't think that hurt you, too."

This time, the smile Laura had was genuine. "It's okay, girl. Come here and give me a hug, you crazy one." Tasha went to her, hugged her, and gave her a peck on the cheek. "And don't worry about it, Taylor and I are past that now."

"You know, you're not a coward. But you're a terrible liar. Of course you're not okay! No amount of time is ever gonna make you feel okay unless you finally fall out of love with each other, which, I believe is not happening any time soon. I mean, I've seen the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you." Natasha shook her head. "I just feel terrible that it didn't work out for the two of you. I was always rooting for you, you know."

"I know. You always find a way to talk about us on your interviews, it's creepy."

"Well, gotta give the fans what they deserve." Both of them chuckled, until Natasha was serious again. "But seriously, Prepon. I'm really sorry. I was an ass."

"Well, a hot one at that," she chuckled. "Oh, don't be such a drama queen," she joked. "It's okay. If it weren't for that, I'm probably on my way to my third date right now," she said, shaking her head. "God, Tash. What was I thinking?"

Natasha had gone back to smiling. "Well, that's the problem, I guess. You weren't." She stopped as she saw Laura's smile vanish into thin air. "So, do you have plans on telling Taylor about this?"

"Oh, no. There's no need, really. I'm gonna be out here soon, anyway."

"Well, we're still not done reshooting all of the scenes we need to reshoot. And you're not gonna be at work tomorrow. I'm sure she'll wonder why."

Laura thought for minute. "Just tell her I had a prior commitment... or something, if she asks. Although I'm sure she's not gonna."

Natasha sniggered. "Are you really trying to act dumb or you really have no idea? She's asking for you every damn time. Haven't you noticed how she watches almost every time we do a scene? Well, she sure as hell is not doing that to see me."

Laura shook her head. "Isn't it stupid how I actually thought we'd both be over it by now?"

"Yeah, pretty damn stupid."

-o-o-o-

It was the next day. Taylor had looked around a number of times and she couldn't still find Laura. She knew she was part of the scene they were shooting today so she had to be there. When she was certain that she really was not around, she decided to go up to Natasha and asked her.

"Hey Tasho, have you seen Laura?"

Taylor was sure that Natasha hesitated before she answered, "Uhh, nope."

"Do you have any idea where she is?"

"Taylo, if you've forgotten I'm not in speaking terms with Prepon as of the moment. So, no. I have no idea where she is."

"You didn't look me in the eye when you said that."

"Oh, geez. I didn't know I had to be romantic with you for you to believe me."

"Tasho, quit joking around. I know you're lying. Come on, I'm really worried here. Laura never misses work."

"Well... aren't we a little observant of Prepon's whereabouts?" She tried averting Taylor's attention but it didn't work. "Okay, maybe, she had a prior commitment or something."

"Do you really think I'd buy that?"

"What are you asking for anyway? It's not like you're still together?" Taylor glared at Tasha and the latter put her hands up in surrender. "I know, low blow. I'm sorry."

"Thank you. I know we're not together anymore but that doesn't mean I've stopped caring."

Natasha sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine. But don't tell her I was the one who told you because she's gonna kill me."

**A/N:**

Hi! I was so overwhelmed by the response that I got for the last chapter. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. Now, a number of you have been suggesting of the making-Laura-jealous scene. As much as I'd like to incorporate that in this story, I've kind of finished this until the very last chapter so it'll be kind of hard to change some things. But thank you for the suggestions! I'll keep those in mind for my next fic.

Now, I know you all probably hate Laura now with everything that she's doing but well, some people do stupid things sometimes, right? Lol. I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter again. Thanks again!

**ariaskj, **I'm sorry for breaking your heart but thank you for still loving this!

**moanzs, **aww, you are so sweet I just wanna hug you right now! Thank you for the brownie points! Sorry for the tears lol

**luuuandrade, **Sorry dude!

**Guest who doesn't understand Laura, **Haha. We'll just have to wait and see, man =)

**Ellen, **Thank you for the suggestion!

**Brbara, **Thank you for this review!

**VauseMan Laylor, **Yeah I want Laylor, too. Don't worry. Things will get better for them. Or not. JK =))))

**FFChik, **Thank you for this review! And as for your suggestion, *explanation on my intro* haha

**stargatejumper10, **So sorry for the tears but this had to happen =(

**jo michael, **hey how's university going? =))) Thank you, your reviews are always so great! Have an awesome day!

**lostgirlcrazy, **Sorry! And thank you so much, glad this is bringing out the emotions I want the readers to feel =)

**Marijn, **I've seen the video now! OMG Tayloface is so adorable! And Uzo, too! Oh and super duper advanced happy birthday in case we wouldn't be interacting by that time anymore haha. Ahh, I feel old. =( HAHA. As always, thank you for the review!

**Guest, **Sorry sweetheart!

**g4gusgrisam,** I know, it was hard to write this chapter because I don't want Laylor to go through this irl. Not that anything is happening to them at all tho. Haha.

**annaflacca, **Thank you dear! Oh, don't worry about grammatical errors, they don't matter haha. Hi Italy! =)


	25. Chapter 25 - Working It Out

**Chapter 25 – Working It Out**

Laura was woken up by her mother. Before she could open her eyes, she could already hear a lot of voices inside the room. She slowly opened her eyes and let them adjust to the brightness first before she looked around to see who were there. There were Natasha, Uzo, Samira, Yael, Danielle Brooks and Taryn Manning, and of course, Jenji. With them were some of the staff of the show. She smiled at the sight of them.

"We're so sorry we woke you up," apologized Uzo. She went to her and kissed her on the cheek. Everyone else did the same.

"Oh no, don't worry about it. Besides, you didn't wake me. My mom did." She chuckled as she looked around for her mom. She was no longer there. "Where'd she go?"

"Oh, she said she's just gonna make calls for a while," answered Tasho. "Although I think she just found the room too crowded now." She dropped a basket of fruits at a table beside her. "Here, we brought you something. Don't worry, this apple? Not poisonous."

Everyone laughed. "Thanks, girl."

She was about to say something more but then the door started to open. She noticed how everyone nervously looked at each other. She looked at the door, waiting for whoever was behind the door to finally show up.

"H-hi." It was Taylor.

Laura looked back at Natasha and she couldn't return her stares. Her friend was probably thinking she was mad but she wasn't. She wasn't expecting Taylor to come so she was glad she was there.

"Hi," was the only thing that came out of Laura's mouth. Taylor smiled and Laura felt her heart melt at the sight of it. It had been the first time since they broke up that she had smiled at her like that again, and it felt good.

For a minute, everyone could feel the tension build up inside the room, and no one dared speak a word. It was Jenji who broke the silence. "So, how are you feeling?"

Laura silently thanked heavens that someone finally said something. "Oh, I feel a lot better now. I'm gettin' out tomorrow."

Taylor sat on the couch at the corner.

Laura's eyes followed her. She wanted to talk to her, to thank her for being there, or say anything at all but she couldn't. She really did not know how to voice her thoughts at the moment.

"What happened to you anyway?" asked Taryn. "Lyonne said you had food poisoning?"

"Oh, yeah. Stupid, right?"

The conversation kept on for a while. Everyone had joined in except Taylor. She had not spoken a single word ever since she came in the room, and just stayed where she was, listening to everyone talk, glancing at Laura every once in a while.

"So..." It was Jenji. "I'm sure you need to go back to resting, so we better get going. We'll see you at work soon?"

"Yeah! I'll be as good as new when I get back. Thanks for coming, girls." She smiled.

Everyone started coming up to her again, and hugged her as they said their goodbyes and went out of the door. Again, for the exception of Taylor. When she stood from the couch, she just looked at Laura, nodded a bit with a little smile, and then walked out of the door. Natasha was the one to go out last.

"Hey, Prepon. I'm sorry I had to tell her-"

"It's okay, girl. Don't worry about it." Laura smiled.

Natasha seemed to breathe out a little air as she felt relieved that Laura wasn't mad at her. "All right then. That's good. See you soon. Love ya!" Natasha went out and was surprised to see that Taylor was still outside the door. The rest weren't around anymore. "Oh, hey. What are you still doing here?"

"Uhm. I think... I think, I'm gonna stay for a while... until Marjorie comes back."

"How'd you know Marjorie was here? She left before you came."

"Yeah, I saw her on her way out. She was the one who told me to go in."

Natasha looked at Taylor tentatively. "Are you gonna be fine... being there with her, alone?"

Taylor did not answer immediately. "Yeah," she shrugged. "We're okay now. So, I don't think there's gonna be any problem."

Natasha smirked but knew better to not say anything else. "Okay, then. I gotta go. I'll see you." She started walking away. "Please don't try to kill her."

Taylor laughed and waited until she could no longer see Natasha before she opened the door. When she came in, she could see that Laura was surprised to see her again. "H-hey."

"Hey." Laura got up to sit. "Did you... forget anything?"

"No." Taylor shook her head. "I just... uhm, your Mom told me if I could look after you until she comes back."

Taylor had to lie. How on earth could she tell Laura that she just wanted to stay there with her because she didn't want to leave her alone... because all she could think about right now was the last time she was sick and alone, and how she felt about that before... and how she was feeling the same exact feeling right now?

When she found out that Laura was in the hospital, she almost wanted to get out of the set right at that moment, to go see Laura. If only Natasha wasn't there and if only she wouldn't see how much her ex-girlfriend still affected her. She was so worried until Tasha told her that Laura was already out of danger.

"Hey, you don't have to do that. I'm gonna be fine. I mean, how hard is it to just lie down and not do anything, right?" She tried to smile but Taylor didn't do the same.

"What if you have to pee... or something?"

"I can stand and walk on my own. I swear, I'm fine."

Taylor nodded. "Of course." She started walking towards the door. "I'm sorry. I was stupid enough to think that you'd want me in here." She was walking out of the room when Laura spoke.

"Hey... that's not what I meant. It's just..." Laura sighed. "Okay, just stay."

"No, it's okay. I'll just leave."

"Taylor. Please?"

Taylor didn't move for a while. There was something in hearing Laura say her name again which froze her on the spot. She sighed, and then she walked back in again. She just stood at the foot of the bed, right across Laura, thinking of what to say.

Laura remained quiet, just looking back at her.

"You told Natasha not to tell me that you're here." There was an accusatory tone in her voice. "Why?"

Laura was taken aback by Taylor's question. She didn't realize that she would ask her this. "Because I was getting out anyway, there's really no reason to tell you. And besides, I would've told her the same thing for anyone else."

"But you specifically told her not to tell ME."

"Specifically? What are you- Because she asked what to tell you if _you_ asked, okay? Not what to say if it was Yael, or Taryn or anyone." Laura's voice was a little louder than she had intended it to.

Taylor shook her head and looked away. "That's not even the point here."

"Then what is the point?"

"Why are you yelling at me?" she asked, with a hurt look on her face.

"I am not yelling at you!" Laura grasped the sheets of the hospital bed, frustrated at herself because she was indeed yelling.

Taylor raised an eyebrow and folded her arms together. "You know, this is the first time we've spoken more than five words to each other and this is what we decide to do? Fight?"

Right then, Laura breathed deeply and tried to calm herself. Taylor was right. They shouldn't be fighting again. She didn't want to fight in the first place. She was just too overwhelmed that she was alone in a room with Taylor again, and she didn't know how to act appropriately. "I'm sorry. You're right. We shouldn't be fighting."

"Good. Coz' it's not good for you." She walked towards the couch and looked back at Laura. "You should be resting. So, you know, if you wanna sleep, go on. I'll be here if you need anything." She sat, a little too far from the raven-haired.

"No, you said so yourself. This is the first time that we're talking, I mean really talk, in like forever. That's what I wanna do. I wanna talk. If it's okay?"

Taylor smiled slightly. "Sure." She then dragged a chair and sat beside Laura. This was the closest she's been to her ever since she came in the room earlier and she felt her heart beat faster. "What do you wanna talk about?"

"Anything," Laura smiled. She missed this. Talking to Taylor, not just as Alex but as Laura, not fighting, no awkward feelings towards each other.

"Right... I know that the last time we talked, I told you that I didn't wanna be friends anymore. I was wrong. I wanna be friends. I know that it may not be like the way it used to anymore, but I'm willing to work on it, if you are, too."

"Of course! I am willing to work on it. I'll do everything I can. I missed you, you know." She looked into Taylor's eyes and it was the first time she did in a long time.

But Taylor looked away. She looked back at her for maybe just a second but gazed away as soon as she did. She shyly smiled. "Yeah, those words are... maybe... not safe... yet. I mean, for right now. If you know what I mean."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. I just... forget I said it." So much for no awkwardness.

"It's okay. I did miss you, too, anyway."

Laura looked at Taylor, confused. "I thought you said... that's not safe?"

This time, Taylor chuckled. And Laura found herself chuckling, too. She never thought there'd come a time when she and Taylor would find it easy to laugh together again. It felt good.

"I know. That's the last time." She was smiling, and it wasn't a small smile, or an awkward one, it was a real, big grin, which she hadn't done in a long time. It was funny how the person who had made her forget how to smile like that was also gonna be the same person who would make her remember how to do it again. "I'm glad you're safe." She rested her arms on Laura's bed.

"Yeah. I am, too." She chuckled again. For a moment, both kept quiet just staring at each other, until Laura noticed how close Taylor's hands were to her right hand. She looked back at the blonde again and was surprised to see that she, too, was looking at their hands.

Laura then smiled. "Thanks for being here, Taylor. It means so much to me."

With one swift move, Laura put her palm over Taylor's hands and started rubbing her forefinger over them. Taylor, on the other hand, moved her other palm over Laura's until her hand was already enclosed by Taylor's. She looked back up at Laura and she was already staring back at her.

After almost two months of trying to avoid each other and only talking when they needed to, they were both surprised with how easy it was for them to reconnect, as if the connection had not been broken in the first place.

Laura's character, Alex Vause once said, _"Well, I think when you have a connection with someone, it never really goes away, you know. You snap back to being important to each other because you still are." _She couldn't be any more right.

Suddenly, the door swung open and they felt as if someone had electrocuted them because they suddenly let go of each other's hands. It was Marjorie.

"Oh, hey! Taylor you're still here!" It was evident in Marjorie's face how glad she was that Taylor was there. If there was one person who was more affected than Laura and Taylor for their breakup, it was her.

When Taylor realized that her cover was gonna be blown once Marjorie started asking why she was still there, she stood and looked at Marjorie intently. "Yeah! You told me to wait for you, remember?" She looked at her pleadingly, hoping she would understand and cover for her.

And she did understand. "Oh, right! No, I thought you couldn't wait any longer and you would just decide to leave before I came back."

Laura looked back and forth from her mother and Taylor, confused why they suddenly started acting strangely. Looking at her Mom, she knew.

She never really asked Taylor to stay.

**A/N:**

**Guest (who wished Taylor would go to the hospital) **Haha, yeah she did! =) Thank you!

**moanzs, **Yes, it's nice to have a breather once in a while. I love Tasho, too! More Tasho to come on the next chapters I think. Haha. Virtual hug is good enough for me, thank you! =)

**Shepherdinha, **Lol, that may be a better plot than the one I made =)))

**Guest (who thinks Tasho is the best), **YES SHE IS. And Laura is stubborn indeed. Hahaha.

**Marijn, **Yeah, Tayloface is the cutest! :" Well, good that you feel young because of me haha! I'm from the Philippines. =) Thank you for your review. You can have Taylor then and I'd get Laura, lol. Thanks again and love you back!

**Guest (who thinks this should be broadcasted or something) **Lol that's a bit too much but thank you! I feel a lot better after reading your review haha. Thanks! They didn't get back together here, tho. Please don't hate me. Haha.

**Guest (who thinks Laylor is inevitable), **Yeah they do fight a lot, don't they? Haha. I'm sorry!

**xunconsciousx, **And we're back to the jealousy thing. Haha. I wonder why I've never thought of that before. Sorry it's hard for me to change what I've already written. =( Thank you for the review tho =)

**stargatejumper10, **still more than 10 chapters to go. Haha. Sorry if this is a little tough at heart but I like my drama a lot lol.

**FFChik, **I know but in Laura's case, fear got in the way. Haha.

**Gabi, **Aww, I'm so sorry, girl! Thank you so much for loving this one despite all the drama haha. And no, you're English is good. Hi Brazil! =)

SHOUTOUT TO **EsterDF**!

This story has reached more than 100 followers thanks guys so much! Free cookies to all of you!


	26. Chapter 26 - Confrontation

**Chapter 26 - Confrontation**

It was supposed to be just another normal day. One of the crew of OITNB was throwing a party and all the cast and crew were there. They were all like a family to each other that they almost never missed any important event in each other's lives.

Taylor was at a corner enjoying some alone time when Ruby came by. "Hi, sweet thing. Is it okay to bother you for a while?"

"Oh, hi! Of course!" Taylor said as she put her drink down.

"What's up? No plans of joining the gang?" She motioned to some of the cast members dancing around.

"Maybe later, I kind of feel exhausted."

Ruby smiled. She was looking at her phone and seemed like she was texting someone.

Taylor took that time to look at her and it was the first time she had actually allowed herself to really stare. She's never tried doing that before because she knew how Laura felt towards their co-star and she thought doing so was tantamount to a bit of a betrayal, even though 'betrayal' was too strong a word for it. This was the first time she's paid attention to her face, and she was surprised to find her really attractive. The only woman she had felt this towards was Laura so it was new to her looking at another woman like this.

"Hey, you okay?"

Taylor was snapped out of her thoughts when Ruby clicked her fingers right in front of her. "Y-yeah, I'm okay. Why?" She silently scolded herself for losing her mind even just for a tiny bit there.

"For a while there, you looked as if you spaced out. If it wasn't a ridiculous idea, I'd think you were checking me out," joked Ruby, showing all her perfectly white teeth.

"Checking you what?" Taylor laughed ridiculously. "You wish," she was laughing but deep inside she wanted to scream at herself for such a dumb move.

"Yeah, I wish. I was kidding!" Ruby paused, assessing Taylor's mood before speaking her thoughts. "Anyway, I'm glad you and Laura seemed to be doing well around each other now. And I mean, really well. I've seen you talking a while ago, and I haven't seen you that way since you were still together."

"Yeah," Taylor smiled. "I'm glad, too. We've found a way to work it out, you know. Be friends. I never thought it'd work, but so far, it's working, so it's great! We're great."

"That's awesome. It's also cool that you're back in the dating scene now."

This surprised Taylor. "Dating? I haven't gone out with anyone yet ever since we've broken up." She raised her eyebrows, waiting for Ruby's response.

"Oh, so it's just Laura then?"

"Laura? Laura's dating?" Taylor wasn't prepared for the rush of feelings that came towards her after finding out about this.

"Yeah, she's dated like three, four guys ever since you two broke it off. Didn't you know?" She stopped when she saw Taylor's reaction, realizing the blonde had no idea about this yet. "_Fuck_, you didn't," she muttered to herself. "I thought... I thought you knew. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No, no, no." She shook her head, faking a smile. "It's okay. It's no big deal. We're not together anymore so... she's allowed to, uh, do whatever the hell she wants. It's not a problem."

Looking at Taylor, Ruby knew damn well that Taylor wasn't saying the truth.

-o-o-o-

Laura had been looking for Taylor all over the place but she couldn't find her. When she saw Natasha, hanging out with Yael, she figured maybe they knew where she was. "Hey, guys. Have you seen Taylor?"

"What, miss her already, Prepon?" asked Natasha with a smirk plastered on her face. Ever since her two friends went back to being their normal selves as friends, she grabbed every chance possible to tease them about it, and to try to make them realize they should just get back together.

Laura chuckled. "No, I was just looking for her because I need to ask her about something."

"You can ask me," Tasha suggested.

"It's about Mercy. Have you been part of that show?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Prepon," she smiled, shaking her head. Her 'Operation Get Taylor and Laura back Together' wasn't working out well so far. "She's at the bar, I guess. Ruby was just there with her a while ago."

"Ruby Rose?" Laura raised an eyebrow.

This got another smirk from Natasha. "Yeah. Why? Jealous, are we?"

"Jealous? Of course not!" Laura decided it was the best time to walk away from them now or else, Tasha's gonna have a great time with her. She walked towards the bar and saw Taylor downing her drink in one swig. "Hey!" Taylor just looked at her for a split second before gazing away again. This somehow confused Laura but chose to ignore it anyway. "Can I ask you something?" she asked, with a smile.

But Taylor did not return her smile. "I'm sorry. I'm kind of busy."

Laura noticed Taylor's coldness towards her, something she's never showed her in weeks now. "Busy drinking?" Taylor just glared at her. "I'm sorry. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just really busy. Can we just do this next time?" Taylor said without even looking at Laura.

"Well, I'm just gonna ask one question. It has something to do with this job that I got." Taylor wasn't still looking at her. "But seeing as this is not a good time, I'm just gonna go take off." She started turning her back on her when Taylor spoke.

"You can call your boyfriend and maybe ask him if you want." Taylor knew it was such a pathetic shot but she took it anyway. She was beyond pissed knowing Laura had started going out with other people.

This made Laura stop. "I'm sorry, what? What are you talking about, I don't have a boyfriend." Laura knew she wasn't lying but she wasn't being truthful, too. She had gone out with a number of guys and she hadn't told Taylor about this yet. She didn't know if she should have, but with the turn of events now, she figured she should've told her when they started being okay again.

"But you did?" This time, Taylor looked at Laura and waited for and answer but Laura was quiet. "Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't."

Laura sighed, then looked at Taylor. "I did not." She didn't find it hard to do this because she was telling the truth this time. Yes, she had gone out with some guys but none of them ever became her boyfriend. "Look, why are you even asking me these things? Aren't we supposed to be okay now? And if you really wanna know the truth then here it is. Yes, I have gone out with three guys ever since we've broken up—"

Taylor didn't let Laura finish. "For fuck's sake, Laura! How long did it take you to get over it?! A month? A week?"

"What is wrong with you? Why are you yelling at me?" asked Laura, shocked at this sudden outburst from Taylor.

Taylor did not answer her. Instead, she just glared at her, unable to control the anger building up inside her. Then she got up and started walking away.

"What, now you're just gonna leave?" she asked as she followed Taylor. She went to the bathroom and was glad that no one else was there. "Okay. What did you want me to do, Taylor? Lock myself inside my house, cry myself to sleep? We've talked about this. We said we were gonna get on with our lives. And that's what I tried doing! If you didn't want me to move the fuck on, you should've told me yourself!"

"Oh congratulations, that is really great for you! You didn't wanna lock yourself in your house? I did! You didn't wanna cry yourself to sleep? I had!"

"What are you trying to say? Were you still expecting us to get back together?"

"Fuck, no! I don't want you back, Laura! After everything that has happened? I'm not gonna get back together with you, knowing you'll just bail out on me in the end." Pause. "And I'm not trying to tell you that you should've done the same things I did. All I want is for you to show even just the tiniest bit, that you actually feel or felt bad that this happened... that you felt devastated that we were not who we used to be anymore."

"Damn it, Taylor. Will you stop acting like this only affects you?! I felt bad, okay?! I felt devastated. Why do you think I've even gone out with any of those guys in the first place?! Do you think that was for my own enjoyment?! No, Taylor. I did it because I couldn't fucking get you out of my mind and it was driving me insane because I was the one who pushed you away! So I had to try and do something about it."

Taylor felt her rage starting to slowly die down, listening to Laura explain things, looking at her look so vulnerable.

Laura was a lot calmer now. "I'm sorry that I did. It was stupid but I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I'm sorry that I thought there was no need for that. I'm sorry that I thought you wouldn't care anymore. I'm sorry for every fucking thing, okay?!"

Before Laura realized it, she had been pushed against the door, and Taylor's lips were already crushing hers. "Taylor, what are you doing?" Laura had managed to ask when Taylor's lips momentarily left hers.

"Shut up, Laura. No questions. I want you. And I want you now."

At first she was taken by surprise by the turn of events that she couldn't move. But when she felt Taylor cup her face and deepened the kiss even more, she felt her own arousal rush through her.

She fisted her hands on Taylor's dress and turned her around so the blonde was now the one slammed against the door. She had bit on Taylor's full lower lip, eliciting a moan from her. Laura took this a sign to plunge her tongue into Taylor's mouth and Taylor returned the favor by doing the same thing until their tongues were battling for dominance.

Taylor let go of Laura only to pull her shirt off of her. She had managed to do this in just a matter of seconds and soon enough, her right hand was on Laura's breast, cupping and feeling, as her left arm was wrapped around Laura's back, removing the only barrier of clothing left.

Laura had taken Taylor's clothes off, too. This time, she had stopped thinking what was happening, why this was happening. She had let go of her self-control as she felt every inch of Taylor's body, kissing her everywhere. She eased her hand down her belly, cupping her wet mound.

"Wider," she whispered in her hoarse, hot voice, she barely recognized her own, pushing Taylor's thighs apart. Her lips left Taylor's only to leave trail of kisses from her neck, down to the center of her chest, to her beautiful breasts, down to her belly.

Laura then pulled Taylor's pants down, not caring that she was being the dominant one, when Taylor started this in the first place. Taylor's femininity was now bare in front of her, as the sweet scent of her arousal filled her head. She went back up to kiss her belly until her lips was just above Taylor's center. She rubbed one finger down her center, circling the exposed bead, then plunging into her glistening moistness, as she swiped her tongue on her sweet bud.

Taylor felt her knees buckle, as she held on whatever was beside her for support. She threw her head back, feeling arousal build inside her. She reached her other hand down, entangling her fingers on Laura's hair. The sensation of Laura's finger rubbing inside her was like a hot wire against her nerve ends. She felt her own body slowly convulsing into a chain of spasms, within and without.

Laura stood back up, kissed Taylor again, as she looked around. She dragged her across the bathroom to the tub, and pushed her down. She went over her, kissing her again, an open-mouthed invitation that Taylor took. It was a little uncomfortable at first, with the little space that they had, but the feelings they had at that moment had made them ignore that.

The hot raven-haired kissed her way down and Taylor let out a moan as Laura's mouth found her breast. She slid her fingers on Laura's hair, needing something to hold on to. Laura sucked her nipples until they were wet and sensitive and she felt the caress in her blood. She dropped one hand to one nipple and thumbed it in a lazy motion, as her tongue was making circles on the other nipple. This made Taylor's thighs clench together. "_Fuck, _Laura..."

Laura made her way to Taylor's center again and the blonde felt her mind go blank as the only thing left of her was a mindless ecstasy that seemed to only grow with each second. She felt Laura's tongue thrust into her and it took all her strength not to let go of her release right at that moment. Every movement of Laura's tongue inside her was pulling at her, drawing her closer. She shuddered and clutched Laura's shoulder, losing herself at the pleasure she was feeling.

Laura's tongue was tenderly persistent and her mouth was so ruthlessly pleasure-giving that Taylor could no longer hold it. She bit her lower lip so she could suppress the moan coming out of her mouth, as her arousal gushed through her like a tidal wave, a solid wall of incredible pleasure that took her past the point of no return. She cried out Laura's name as ripples of ecstasy flooded through her, her blood roaring through her veins.

**A/N:**

**sweetlikevanillais, **Hey, we all do! =) Hope this chapter made up for the past few ones? *fingers crossed*

**luuuandrade, **Wow, that made me blush. Thank you so much for this review. Here's a virtual hug for you! =)

**Marijn, **Yey, you already got an account! That is so great! Hm, well I haven't been outside of the Philippines, too. Haha. Maybe I should visit Amsterdam in the future, yeah? =) Thank you for your review! And don't worry, this story is far from over =)

**moanzs, **Hey, thank you! Glad you loved it. Hope you love this one, too. Haha.

**ariaskj, **Hey, you and me both! She's too hot. Haha.

**FFChik, **Yeah, it's hard to stay away from Laura (I'm just talking for myself, tho haha)

**stargatejumper10, **Let's jump up and down together yey! HAHA.

**Guest, **I'm not sure if the 3 consecutive guest reviews were from one person but whoever you are, thank you! Hope you love this chapter =)

**allyssa, **This review almost made me jump up and down. You're amazing =)

**Gabi, **Hope you like this new chapter. Thank you so much! Love you! =)

**Ellen, **Thanks, girl! Here's the 'reunion' haha.

Thanks for the love! You people are awesome and I will say it over and over again! *group hug*


	27. Chapter 27 - No Strings Attached

**Chapter 27 – No Strings Attached**

The first time they'd kissed ever since that particular rehearsal scene wasn't like anything they had done before. There was still passion but it felt more primitive than their kisses usually were. And it wasn't just the kiss. It was also everything else. Every kiss, every loss of breath, every moan... their rush in taking each other's clothes off, almost tearing them... everything felt different.

It was purely physical. It was rough. It was an 'I gotta have you now' sex. This wasn't the kind wherein they wanted to make each other feel how much they loved each other. Instead, it had morphed them into sensual animals and it left them incapable of thinking about anything else, about what this might bring or cause them.

Afterwards, they went out of the bathroom as if nothing happened. At that moment, they knew they weren't just friends anymore. Again. But they were also less than lovers. So, so much less. If there was anything in between that wasn't the usual that's 'in between,' that was them.

They went on through the rest of the night as normal as possible. After the party was over and almost everyone had left, they decided to approach each other, surprised that they both had the same thing in mind.

"Hey," it was Taylor. "I think we need to talk... about what happened..."

"I know. I was just thinking the same thing." Laura paused and looked around. It was almost morning and no one was left except them. "You wanna come to my place?" When she saw uncertainty flash through Taylor's eyes, she realized how that must have sounded to her. "We'll just talk. Nothing more."

Taylor nodded. "Okay then."

Laura and she went to the former's house on different cars. When they reached their destination, Taylor felt a different kind of sensation being in Laura's place again after months. She couldn't even bring herself to take a seat even after Laura offered her to do so.

"Is everything okay?" asked Laura who sensed the uneasiness of Taylor.

"No, yeah. Everything's fine. It just... I don't know, it feels weird being here again after a long time," she said, looking around. She noticed how nothing had changed inside. And yet everything felt totally different. It was still the same place it was the last time she was here, but after everything that had happened between her and Laura, she just couldn't bring herself to feel at home there anymore.

"I know what you mean," agreed Laura who also felt the same way towards Taylor being inside her house again. At some point in their lives, it became their home, their happy place. Laura's house, and Taylor's for that matter, somehow became a witness of everything that went on with them when they were still together and it was an important part of their relationship. "Uhm, is this making you uncomfortable? We can move some place else if you'd prefer that."

"No, it's okay. I'm okay." For a moment, none of them talked, waiting for each other to speak first, unsure what there was to talk about anyway. When Taylor saw that Laura wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, she decided to just speak and get this over with. "Uhm, so... about what happened earlier..." She noticed how Laura almost avoided her eyes when she said this. "I hope you know that... that it doesn't mean I wanna get b-back together, you know." Taylor didn't realize how hard it was gonna be for her to speak these words until now. To say the situation was awkward was an understatement.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Laura answered back, faster than she had intended to. "I know, don't worry about it... there's no... misunderstanding or anything." Laura didn't voice it out but she was actually relieved that Taylor said this. She didn't want any more complications than they'd already gone through and she was glad that what happened would not be one.

"Yeaaaah..." Taylor looked away, unsure what to say next. "It was, you know, uhm, I don't know, probably just my needs or urges or whatever you call it, getting out of my control," she said those last few words so fast she didn't know if Laura understood them.

Laura's lips suddenly curved up into a little smile, "Yeah, I know. I felt it, too." Then she shook her head. "This is awkward, huh?"

Taylor let out a breath she'd been holding ever since she came inside Laura's house. "Oh, you can't believe how glad I am that you mentioned that." They both looked at each other and started laughing. "Oh, this is crazy." At that point, Taylor had relaxed and she could see that Laura had, too. "So, we're clear? No issues, whatsoever?"

"Yes, we're clear. No issues." She was smiling as she saw Taylor started to relax.

"And we're sure that it's never going to happen again?"

Laura nodded. "Very sure."

They were just staring into each other's eyes, blue meeting green, assessing what the other might be thinking, both having the same thoughts of how they got from being friends, to more than that, to almost strangers, and now to this.

And then before they even realized it, they were both in Laura's bedroom, kissing like there's no tomorrow, taking each other's clothes off, having mindless, hot, passionate sex, without a care in the world what might happen after all this was over.

-o-o-o-

Laura and Taylor's setup, as friends with benefits, no strings attached, or whatever it was called these days, had been going on for almost two weeks now. Sometimes, at Laura's place, sometimes at Taylor's, sometimes some place else. And they did it with so much caution that no one had ever noticed what was going on with them, much to their relief.

They both knew it wasn't going to last, and there were a lot of craziness that this might bring them, but they decided not to think of anything else, to just live at the moment, because it was working for them. There were no more awkwardness and they were doing great at their work. So far, so good.

Taylor was at the set of Orange Is The New Black, for a photo shoot, and she just got out of her trailer, almost laughing at herself for having been able to convince Laura to do their 'thing' in there. It was a quick one, but it was hot, and good, oh so good, something that wasn't a surprise because Laura was always good, better than any other person she had ever done it with. And this put her in such a good mood she didn't notice that Natasha was already walking with her.

"Hey, what's up?" Natasha asked as she kept with Taylor's pace.

Taylor was surprised but hid it from Natasha. "Good. You?"

"I'm fine." She paused, noticing something different with Taylor. "Wait a minute." She looked at the blonde intently. Taylor was smiling like an idiot, something she's never seen in her face in a long time.

"What?" Taylor asked, confused at Tasha's sudden change of mood.

"Why do you have that look on your face?" Her forehead was creased, trying to figure out what was different with Taylor today.

"What look?" Taylor was pretty sure she knew what Tasha was trying to get at now and she became queasy just thinking what she would say if she found out.

And then she realized. This only meant one thing. "Oh my god! You had sex!"

"What? Had se- had what?" She's dead.

"Oh Tayloface don't pull that shit on me. It's all over your face. You have that 'just-had-sex-and-it's-rough-and-I-loved-it' kind of look." This time, it was Natasha who was smiling like an idiot. She always saw Taylor as very lady-like, soft-spoken, someone who wouldn't have sex in public. This was a pleasant surprise for her.

Taylor wanted to lie about it at first, but when she realized that this was Tasha she was talking to and there was no way in hell she was getting out of this, she just decided to tell her the truth. "Fine. But will you please keep it down?" She looked around and was freaking out because someone may overhear them.

"Holy shit." This only widened the smirk that was already on Natasha's face. Then, she realized something. "Oh, wait. If you just had sex..." she said slowly, figuring out the answer to her question as she spoke, "and we're in Litchfield... holy shit you did it with one of us!" Then she backtracked. "Well, one of them," her hand motioning to everyone around them. "Who is it?"

Taylor could only shake her head as little bead of sweat started forming on her forehead. "You're crazy, you know?"

"Yeah, I do. And fuck, is it Ruby Rose?" she asked, adamant of finding out who had put Taylor in such a mood, outraged by the idea of Taylor and Ruby.

Natasha's eyes widened so much that Taylor got scared a bit. "What? NO!" For about a fraction of a second, she had imagined her doing it with Ruby but she realized how ridiculous and crazy that thought was so she shook off the thought as soon as it came to her mind. "No, it's not Ruby. Are you crazy? Yes, you are. I just said that. You're crazy."

Natasha tilted her head to the side, nodding, relieved that Taylor didn't do it with Ruby. That would be a total frenzy. "Well then good, because if it was her, and Prepon finds out—" Then she stopped with her mouth open. "Holy mother of... It's Prepon!" She almost jumped up of happiness when she said this. That was the only logical, and acceptable, answer to her question.

"Yeah?" Then came a voice from behind Taylor. It was Laura. Taylor and she planned on her walking out of the trailer few minutes after Taylor so they wouldn't get noticed.

Taylor wanted to just pop out of embarrassment. "Oh great. This is just great," she whispered to herself as she covered her face with her hands.

"What's going on?" asked Laura. She looked at Taylor looking so distraught and then Natasha who looked as if she won the lottery or something. She couldn't think of any situation that required those looks from her two friends.

"You two just had sex!" answered Natasha as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Geez, you don't know how happy I am to find out that you're back together." She was smiling so widely you would think she was the one who got back together with the person she was in-love with.

Laura almost stopped walking, with her mouth agape, unprepared for the sudden turn of events. She looked at Taylor and the blonde couldn't look back at her.

Taylor shook her head furiously, it looked as if it was gonna fall off. "First of all, we're not back together, okay? And if you could kindly turn your voice up a notch a bit, because I think there's someone outside this psychiatric ward who didn't hear you."

Natasha just laughed at this and then looked at Laura. She also looked as if she wanted to just disappear right at that moment. She was finding all of this amusing.

"You know," said the dark-haired, starting to become uncomfortable, "if I could just turn back time and not be here right now..." She also shook her head, looking behind if there was anyone there who could've heard Natasha.

"Sucks for you, we don't have the privilege of a time-machine here in Litchfield," answered Natasha with her smirk still plastered on her face.

"How did you find out, anyway?" Laura then looked at Taylor. "Did you tell her?"

"What? No! I don't kiss and tell."

"Yeah," agreed Tasha. "That sounds more like me."

Laura chuckled. "Whatever. This is crazy. I'm gonna go," she started walking away from the two, but then stopped after a few steps to look at Natasha. "And Tasho... shush!"

This elicited a laugh from Natasha. "As you wish, my friend."

Taylor shook her head, smiling. "I'm gonna go, too." She followed Laura. When she saw Natasha's smile, turn into a playful smirk, she stopped. "We're not gonna do it. Seriously, take that smirk off your face!" She walked on, hearing Natasha's laugh from behind her.

Taylor and Laura stayed at one side of the set, away from everyone. "So... We both know Natasha's not letting go of this," said Laura, with a small smile forming on her lips. No matter what had happened to her and Taylor, Natasha's reaction to everything always amused her.

"I know," agreed Taylor, chuckling. "I'm sorry I told her," she added apologetically. "I couldn't get out of it. She's like..." she paused, thinking of the right word that could describe Natasha. "I don't know what she's like."

"Are you kidding? If you hadn't told her, I would've been the one to do so. I'm just glad you're the one who's gonna have to take the blame." Laura chuckled.

"Shut up!" Taylor hit her arm playfully, joining in on Laura's laughter.

"No, but seriously, it's not a problem. I mean, it's Natasha, if we didn't tell her, she would've found out another way."

"What, like run in on us?"

They both stopped, and imagined what that would be like, in case. They looked at each other and let out a laugh at the same time, not realizing that both was enjoying each other's company, not making out or anything like that, more than they would ever admit to themselves.

**A/N:**

Hi you guys! Early update this time. Yey! I got a not so good news though. I won't be updating in a while. I'm leaving today and I won't bring my laptop with me. All my files are here so I won't be able to update, sorry! I don't know when I'll be back but I promise I will post two new chapters as soon as I get back. I'll miss you, people!

**Sway594 &amp; sweetlikevanillais, **Hell yes indeed!

**Guest who loves me again, haha. **Thank you! And you got it right, they aren't really 'fixed' yet but one step at a time, yeah? =)

**LJ, **Hope this chapter isn't kind of 'anticlimactic' though lol

**Gabi, **Thank you so much! I'm glad you loved the previous chapter! Love you back *kisses*

**moanzs, **Thank you! And here's some Tasho for you =))

**tash, **yeah, I tried really hard for that lil smut, I'm not good at writing them. I'm glad you liked it!

**Guest ("Finally! Great chapter") **Thank you! =)

**FFChik, **Thank you for that review! Hope you like how I played this one out =)

**ariaskj, **Wow, thanks girl! I looove your review. Haha. And I also get excited every time I get reviews from you guys. Oh, the little joys of life =)

**Ellen, **Inhale, exhale! Haha. You're welcome! And thank you, too, girl! =)

**stargatejumper10, **bet you didn't see this chapter coming, eh? *peace out*

**Marijn, **Good to know! Yeah, far from over indeed. Haha. Oh yeah sure! But maybe that's not yet gonna happen in a while haha. Virtual hugs back at ya! Love you girl!

**jo michael, **Hey. How's university going? Good luck with everything, you're gonna do great! =) Hoping an amazing summer vacation for you. Haha. Thank you so much for your amazing reviews! You rock, as well! =) I'm glad you're liking this story so far, thanks again for the kind words, you're amazing!


	28. Chapter 28 - Conversations

**Chapter 28 - Conversations**

"I can't believe they're pushing through with this." Taylor still hadn't gotten over the fact that they were shooting a scene today wherein she would have to get handcuffed to a bed for Laura's Alex's own enjoyment. "I mean, handcuffed! On a bed! Isn't that a little too much? I mean, even for Alex and Piper?"

Taylor found it a little fishy when Jenji called and told her they were gonna shoot one scene again, one that wasn't supposed to make it to the final script. Filming was over months ago and it was odd that there were still a lot of things that weren't done. The production was almost perfect and it was the first time this was happening and she couldn't help but be skeptical about this.

"Too much? People are having sex in a chapel. And you think being handcuffed to a bed is too much?" Laura couldn't stop laughing at Taylor. She had been going on about this ever since they had gotten the script for this episode, and she seemed as if she wouldn't be stopping anytime soon.

"You're just not taking this as a big deal because you don't get to be handcuffed," Taylor pouted. "You're gonna be the one 'enjoying.'"

Laura smirked. "Oh yes, I am."

-o-o-o-

Both Laura and Taylor were already in bed, waiting for their scene to be shot. Taylor already had her left hand handcuffed to the bed's headboard. She also had a blanket over her because she was just wearing a bra and shorts. To say she was uncomfortable was an understatement.

Laura, on the other hand, was having the best time of her life making fun of her blonde friend. She was a lot more at ease because she was free and fully clothed. Perks of being Alex the Aggressor. "You know, I think this is turning me on," she said, with a little bite on her lower lip.

Taylor laughed and shook her head. "Do you want me to kill you? Right now, coz I'd do it," answered Taylor who tried shifting unsuccessfully. She couldn't move properly and she was so annoyed she wanted the scene to be done already.

Laura just laughed at her. "Will you relax? You're gonna hurt yourself even more if you keep moving." Taylor did as she was told. "Where are they anyway? What's taking them so long?" Laura was talking about the whole crew.

"I don't know. Will you please check it out? I'm dying here."

True enough, Laura saw that a red circle was starting to form on Taylor's wrist. "All right. Wait here." She stood up.

"Like I can go anywhere," answered Taylor.

"Cranky pants," commented Laura, laughing. But when she reached the door, her smile was gone. "Fuck."

"What?" asked Taylor, noticing Laura's reaction.

"It's locked."

"What?!" Taylor tried sitting up, but was stopped by the handcuff on her hand, and she groaned in pain. "Ouch! Damn it." For a second, Laura looked as if she was gonna come rushing to her, but she didn't. "Wait, what do you mean it's locked? How can it be locked from outside?" She was starting to freak out.

"I don't know, do I? We're both here!" Laura started thumping on the door, hoping that they were all just outside. "Hello?!" She kept thumping even if she knew there weren't any people out there because it was dead silent. "Damn it," she said, more to herself.

"There aren't any people outside, are there?" Taylor asked.

That's when Laura stopped and looked at Taylor, "No. No one's outside. It looks like we're stuck here."

-o-o-o-

"How did you convince Jenji to do that?" asked Yael, incredulously. Natasha just told her all about her little scheme involving Taylor and Laura. She had planned all of this. She knew it was a little childish, and maybe it was stepping out of the line a little, but she promised herself that if this still did not work, she would finally give up on getting her two friends back together.

She was the one who asked their writers to write in that little scene of Alex and Piper on their script. She also asked Jenji to get it on her plan, to lock those two up together, let them talk and figure things out, and not give them a chance to just make out, hence the handcuffs. She knew Taylor and Laura weren't on that kind of thing so she was pretty sure they weren't going to do anything.

At first, Jenji thought it was a bad idea, but Natasha managed to convince her how much Taylor and Laura needed to have that talk. They were both refusing to face reality and sooner or later, it was gonna blow up right on their faces, and that's never a good thing. And Jenji agreed.

"Well, I'm Natasha Lyonne. I can do pretty much anything," Natasha joked, thinking of what might be going on between Taylor and Laura now. If they found out about this, she was pretty sure they were gonna kill her.

But she was ready for that. She's Natasha Lyonne.

-o-o-o-

"So what, they just locked us in here?" It was Taylor. Laura was already lying beside her, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yeah. Pretty much." Laura sat up and looked at Taylor. "Are you okay? I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? Why? Is this your plan? To get us locked in here so you could do... things... to me?" asked Taylor, with a challenging smile on her face.

Laura's eyebrows shot, and hid the smirk that formed on her lips. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. I was kidding," Taylor answered. Laura was wearing a gray tank top and Taylor thought she looked sexy as hell. It was taking all her will power not to pull Laura towards her to kiss her mindlessly. Not that she could do much, anyway, with only one free hand.

"Yeah?" said Laura, now wearing a toothless grin. "Well, I wasn't."

"You weren't?" Her breathing started to slow as Laura inched her face so close to her.

She stared into her eyes, "When I said this was turning me on," then her lips, which was partly open, "...I wasn't kidding."

Taylor swallowed. "What?" She asked as her eyes darted down to Laura's lips which was probably just an inch from hers. "What do you mean you're not kidding?" Laura softly chuckled, and Taylor found even that sexy, and she realized how stupid she must have looked right at that moment.

"I mean..." Laura let that last word drag before she spoke again, "...I'm not kidding," she continued as her lips crashed into Taylor's and before they even knew it, they were making out.

Since Taylor couldn't move much, Laura decided to go on top of her and started kissing her from her lips down to her neck. The fact that Taylor was handcuffed and she had total control over her was making her so hot, but Taylor's delicious moans were intensifying that a thousand times even more.

Thinking of how Taylor was handcuffed made Laura absentmindedly look at her arm which was pinned at the headboard of the bed. And then the sight of it made her freeze. It was bleeding. Just a little, but it felt like someone poured cold water over her because she was suddenly not feeling hot at all. She was worried now.

Taylor, on the other hand, was already wondering why Laura had stopped. "Wh-why are we stopping?" she asked, confused.

"Because you're bleeding," answered Laura as she got off Taylor and went to examine her wrist.

"What?" She looked at her wrist and true enough, it was bleeding. But the blood was so little she wasn't sure how Laura even noticed it. "It's okay. I'm not feeling anything." She then stopped. "Except down there so just get back here, please?" She was so hot she didn't think she would notice even if her hand fell off.

Laura, meanwhile, wouldn't budge. She was actually a little panicked that Taylor was hurt and she couldn't do anything about it. Funny how Taylor was almost naked in front of her, and pinned to the headboard, and almost begging her to get back to what they were doing earlier, but all she wanted to do right at that moment was to put some clothes on her, remove that handcuff off of her and just make sure that she was okay.

"I can't. With you all bloody and stuff."

"You call that bloody? When have you ever been such a pussy? Just get back here and kiss me," she said Taylor, as the heat inside her was slowly subsiding. "Oh, forget about it. It's gone now anyway."

Her feeling earlier was now replaced by warmth, looking at Laura seem so concerned about her. They've been at this 'friends with benefits' thing for quite a long time now and she knew that they both hadn't let any feeling other than desire for each other be known towards each other, if there were any. This was the first time that one of them had let her guard down.

"But seriously, don't worry about it. It's just a little blood. It doesn't even hurt." Laura looked at her with one of her eyebrows shooting up. "Well, it does a little, but I'm fine. I swear."

"No, you're not fine. You're handcuffed for crying out loud." Laura sighed, because she couldn't do anything about it anyway. But instead of going back to bed beside Taylor, she went to the door and started pounding on it again. "Is there really no one out there? Come on, you guys!"

"Laura, no one's there. Just get back here." Laura just looked at her. "Don't worry, no making out. We can just talk." She smiled.

Laura shook her head as she made her way back to the bed. "Whoever's responsible for this is gonna get his or her ass kicked when we get out of here." She didn't know why Tasho's face suddenly popped inside her head.

Taylor laughed as Laura laid down beside her. "Wow, getting a little violent there, Prepon. Come on, it's probably just an honest mistake."

"Do you seriously believe that? We've been here for more than an hour. Don't you think they should have realized it by now if it really was just an honest mistake?"

"Well, if they indeed did this on purpose—"

But Laura cut her off. "They did. You were right. There was something fishy about this supposed little scene."

Taylor nodded. "Fine, since they did this on purpose, as you so strongly believe, we might just as well make the most of it. Although I don't get why there was a need to handcuff me, it's not like I'm gonna be able to go anywhere else if I wasn't, anyway," she added, feeling the pain on her wrist get stronger by the minute. But she didn't show Laura that because she did not want her to worry and get pissed any more than she already felt.

Laura laid on her side and faced Taylor. "Right," she said, finally forgetting that she was annoyed. "And you're right, let's just make the most out of this."

And they started talking. Just talking. Like the way they did before all the mess they got into regarding their relationship. For hours, they talked about Taylor's new relationship with her mom, they talked about Laura's family, and they talked about things about them besides their work on Orange. They talked about everything that they wouldn't allow themselves to talk about before when they would choose to just make out or do something other than talking.

They never talked about anything, nothing so personal at least, because they didn't want to go down that road again. It felt like if they did, all those times they spent moving on from each other would just be thrown away.

Right after their break up, they both thought they would never find a way to be around each other anymore, that any kind of relationship between them was forever ruined. So when they successfully figured out a way to do so, they were happy. They were fine around each other, there were no negative feelings towards each other, and they were both in a really good place right now.

They had tried making themselves believe that doing what they're currently doing was them finally accepting that they had finally and truly moved on from each other. But in reality, something they both found difficult to accept, it's them trying not to let each other go in an unobvious manner.

But neither of them would admit that, because no matter how much they denied it to themselves, they were scared of what it might do to them, of what feelings it was gonna bring out just in case. So for the meantime, they were choosing to ignore reality. Because as much as they wanted to face it, what they had right now was way easier than any other option.

So they kept on talking... and talking... until both had fallen asleep... with Laura's arm protectively wrapped around Taylor, and Taylor's free hand entangled around Laura's.

**A/N:**

Hi lovely people! I'm back! I missed you all! And thank you so much for all the reviews you left while I was away, you guys rock!

**ariaskj, **Oooh, glad I could surprise you! Haha. Thank you for the review and I'm really sorry for the long wait. And thank you, yes I had fun! Xo =)

**stargatejumper10, **Hi! Thank you for the PM you left me! That was really sweet of you. =') And yes, one step at a time til God knows what will happen to them haha.

**moanzs, **Yeah! Sorry little Tasho here, but I couldn't resist making her the 'little devil' lol. Thanks again for the review. Anyway, I'm really sorry but there'd be no more Marjorie on the next chapters. Sorry! Thanks though that you love how I made her to be in this fic. Now I wish I could've given her a few more scenes with Laura. *peace*

**Guest (with the Ruby-Taylor suggestion), **Thank you for that but I'm afraid you've seen the last Ruby Rose scene on this fic, sorry!

**FFChik, **Glad I could surprise you! Haha. And yeah, I really think Tash is the most perfect one for that part. Haha.

**Gabi, **OMG your review 3 I love you, too, girl! That's really sweet of you. Virtual hugs and kisses to you!

**lookingforflowers, **Hey, welcome back then! A little late, but better late than never, right? Haha. Thank you for your review, I'm happy you're loving it so far. You're awesome! And yey Laylor! =)) xoxo

**tash, **Hi there, I'm back! =)) *wink wink*

**lily, **Thanks, girl! Yeah, I loooove writing!

**Marijn, **Hi, girl, I'm back! Just went on a little vacation =) How are you doing? Wow, thank you! Glad you had fun reading this chapter, haha. I missed you, too!

**Ellen, **Yey, I'm glad you like the Ruby part. I was kind of scared people would hate me for that. Haha. True! Jealousy is indeed a very powerful (but dangerous!) thing =)

**LJ, **Yassssss Laylor forever! Haha. Here's the update, hope you like it =)

**Guest (who requested for the update), **Here it is! Sorry for the wait! *peace*

**jo michael, **Whooooh, yey for you! Enjoy your summer! They've released another trailer, awesome, right?! Less than one month and the Litchfield girls are back, I'm freaking out! *jumping up and down* Haha. Anyway, I'm doing great! Enjoying my summer vacation, too. Haha. I gotta say, your review made my heart swell! I mean, I've read a lot of fan fictions so I know mine is in no way the best out of everything so it really means a lot that you think otherwise. Thank you so much, you just made my entire month. =))) And about Oblivion, I'm finding it a little hard to continue it right now but I hope I can manage to do so in a couple of days. Thanks again, and love you back!

**SeriouslyAwesome, **Hey there! Here's your update, sorry for the long wait (Oh wait that rhymes lol) =)))

YOU GUYS ARE FAN-FCKN-TASTIC! LOVE YOU ALL!


	29. Chapter 29 - Confusion

**Chapter 29 - Confusion**

When Laura and Taylor were out of the room they were locked in, Natasha immediately confessed to the crime. She knew they were gonna get mad at her, and she was right. It took Laura almost a week to forgive her, but thankfully, Taylor was a bit more forgiving so she was the one who had managed to make Laura forgive their friend for her little trick. Now, they were all back to normal.

Taylor and Laura just got from a Netflix meeting, getting ready to go home.

"Hey, Tay? Are you coming to Wiley's party tonight?" Samira was throwing a party at her house and everyone from the Orange family was invited.

"Oh yeah! You wanna go together?"

"Oh..." Laura muttered, surprised by Taylor's question. "Uhm, I had actually planned to go with Tasho," she added, awkwardly. She never thought Taylor would ask her this. "But... you can just come with us."

Taylor felt embarrassed for even asking. How could she ask such a dumb question? "Oh no, no, no. It's okay. I'll just go on my own. I still have to do something anyway," she answered as casual as she could. She wanted to let Laura know that it was okay, even if she wanted to just run away from her as soon as she could.

"Are you sure?" the black-haired asked, unconvinced of Taylor's answer.

"Yeah." She didn't know what else to say so she just decided to leave. Maybe that could save her from her embarrassment. "So, uh, I gotta go. I have this thing, uhm... See you tonight?"

"Yeah. See you." Laura didn't know if she should go hug her goodbye or not, but then decided to do so, and then regretted it the moment they let go of each other, because it was the most awkward hug ever. Sighing, she could only look at Taylor as she walked away from her.

-o-o-o-

"Come on, admit it. You have got to have felt a little something there." It was Natasha, still trying to make Laura admit that she felt something for Taylor again because of what happened. They were already at Samira's party.

"Yeah, I did," agreed Laura. "I felt mad. At you."

Tasho laughed. "What? You didn't even know it was me."

"Who else would do something like that other than you?" Natasha just smirked. "And please, just stop trying to make Taylor and I get back together, okay? It's been months! We have broken up almost as long as we've been together. We've moved on." At that time, Laura saw Taylor talking to some of their cast mates, laughing, and for a moment she couldn't take her eyes off of her.

"Then why are you two still fucking each other? Huh?" That brought Laura back to Natasha. "Don't tell me that's just for your own pleasure because I sure know you can do that with other people. Hell, you're Laura Prepon. And she's Taylor Schilling. Every person in America wants to do it with you."

"What, you want me to just do it with some random person?"

"Well, if you don't like the idea of that, you can always do it with me."

"God Lyonne, what has gotten into you? Are you really that desperate to get us back together again? That you're actually talking about us doing it?"

"What, you don't want a piece of this?" she asked, laughing.

Laura just laughed. "Shut it. Will you please be serious for one second? Because I am, okay? I don't want you pulling any more stunt like that again. Taylor and I are fine now. We're more than fine."

"Geez, I don't know your definition for the word fine, but I think it's the opposite of what my own definition is. Look, okay. If you want me to stop, then I'll stop. But you have to promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't ever do it with her again."

"What? Why? Why would I do that?"

"Because it's what's making you hold on! Hold on to the thought of the two of you. You're not letting each other ago. By doing what you think you're doing, you still get to be together, but without the emotional connection that you had before, which was what scared the hell out of you in the first place. But also, you're keeping each other from truly moving on... to other people."

"That's not true. We've talked about this, it's just physical, I mean, you know..." She couldn't say anything and she got scared that Natasha was right. "Well, you know, you're Natasha Lyonne. And, we also said we can date whoever we want, whenever we want to."

"Well, have you?"

"No. But I mean, it's not like there's anyone out there who I'd like to date right now."

"Not even two months after you broke up, you have gone out with three people. So don't give me that bullshit. You can date whenever or whoever you want, you just don't want to. Because of Taylor. And she's doing the same thing." Laura didn't say a thing so she went on. "I don't know what you're both trying to pull here, but I care about the two of you, okay? And this, whatever you call this that you're doing, it's not helping. Sure, it may look as if it is now, but one day it's gonna blow right on your faces. And who knows if you can still recover from that. So either you keep doing it, but just admit that you two still love each other, or just stop it, and let each other go, for real."

-o-o-o-

Taylor decided to just go sit in the corner. She felt exhausted, and she wasn't sure why because it's not like she's done a lot today. Just as she sat, with vodka in her hand, she saw Laura hanging with Tasho. They were laughing and they seemed like they were having fun.

And she was jealous. Laura was never that upbeat around her anymore. Whenever they were together, everything was about sex. If not, it felt like there was always a wall between them, trying to filter whatever emotion other than sexual desire for each other, get through to the other side.

And she hated it that she was jealous. Because she wasn't supposed to be. She wanted this. She was the one who started it in the first place. When they got into this arrangement, they both knew what their limitations were and they both accepted that.

She was fine by it. She had always been fine with this set up until they were locked in that stupid bedroom. Because that's when she had let her guard down. She started feeling again, and she hated it. This wasn't part of the deal. And now she was screwed... fucking yet again.

-o-o-o-

"Hey, Tayloface." It was Natasha. She noticed Laura throwing glances at Taylor but wouldn't go near her so she just decided to do it herself.

"Hey," responded Taylor, just passing a glance at her.

"Are you okay?" She noticed that Taylor seemed pissed.

"Yeah," she nodded, and this time she didn't bother looking at Natasha.

And Tasho did not fail to notice that. "Oh. You're not okay. So I'm just gonna go." She knew better than to push Taylor with this mood.

"No, as a matter of fact I want you to stay."

It was obvious that Taylor was a little drunk. It was actually more than 'little.' "No, I'm just gonna—"

"I said stay."

Taylor spoke these words a little more loudly than she usually spoke and Tasho was sitting beside her even before she could blink. "Ohhhhhh-kaaaaaay. You seem pissed at me or something. Is this still because of me locking you inside that room?" Usually, Natasha would joke around in this kind of situation but she knew that this was not the right time for that.

"You and Laura seem pretty tight these days," said Taylor, ignoring Natasha's question. "Is there something going on with you two?" she added, slurring her words.

"What?" Natasha asked, surprised. "Taylo, you do know I'm straight, right?"

"Well, one year ago, I thought _I _was straight."

Tasho noticed that Taylor was just looking at one direction and she decided to take a look at who she was staring at. Unsurprisingly, it was Laura. "Look, even if I wasn't, but I am, I wouldn't—"

"You know what?" she cut her off, "you don't need to answer my question. I mean, it's okay. It's not like we're dating or anything. We're just fuck buddies. That's right, you heard me. We just fuck each other whenever we feel like it, like some fucking animals... without any kinds of emotions or what not. Because what fun is there with that?" she said, as she took another swig of her vodka.

Natasha sighed, feeling bad looking at Taylor like this. "Tay, you're drunk. Do you want me to bring you home?"

"Nooooo. I'm not drunk. Let's talk. Talking is fun. Not something I do with her," she pointed at Laura, "...but we do other fun stuff, too. Not talk, but it's still fun. The other fun stuff, like dating and stuff, she does with other people but it's okay, because it's part of our deal, you know."

She was supposed to take another drink but Natasha had decided to take her glass away from her. "Hey that's enough. I'm bringing you home." She stood up, and helped Taylor up. It was a testament to how much she had drunk by the way she stood up.

Laura may have seen them because she suddenly made her way to them. "Hey, what's going on?" She looked at Taylor and she looked like a mess. "Whoah, somebody had a lot to drink tonight."

"Yeah, I'm bringing her home," Natasha said, suddenly starting to get pissed. She didn't realize how stubborn Taylor and Laura had become, until now. And it pissed her because she didn't want seeing them like this. Maybe it was the drinks she had, too.

"You know what, I'll do it. I can take her home. Just stay and enjoy the party."

"I'll be fine, you stay," said Natasha as she started walking with Taylor's arm wrapped around her shoulder. Taylor, on the other hand, just kept watching Laura and Natasha talk, moving her head towards who was talking at the time. She felt like the floor was shaking under her feet.

"Tash, I can take care of her," said Laura, unsure why Natasha wouldn't just let her take Taylor home because she usually did.

"And I can, too. Excuse me," she said as she walked past Laura.

"What is the matter with you?" Laura could not hold it back any longer.

Even if she was a bit drunk, Taylor still knew what was going on and she could see that things were starting to heat up between Laura and Natasha and she had to step in. "Shut it, people. No one's going home. We all stay." She took her arm off of Natasha's shoulder and sat at the nearest chair.

"What is the matter with _you_?" said Natasha as soon as Taylor had sat. "Can't you see how much you're both ruining each other's lives? Look at you!" She motioned to Taylor. "I know this isn't supposed to be my business. This is your lives and you can do whatever the hell you want with them, but sue me for caring for you two. Because I can't just watch you and let you hang on to something that might destroy you in the end."

Taylor had her head bowed, trying to stay sober and understand every word Natasha was saying. Laura, on the other hand, was looking away, every word of Natasha hitting her right in the chest. It was a good thing that they were far away from the others so none could see what was going on, because if not, Natasha would make quite a scene.

"If you want to be together, then just man up, and do so. Properly! But if you don't wanna do that anymore, then decide whether you'd want to stay in each other's lives just as friends or you'd prefer to just let each other go and just get out of each other's lives for good. You guys are not stupid, so please stop acting like it."

With that, she stormed out.

**A/N:**

Hi! I know I told you I was gonna post a few hours after my last chapter but things happened so that's why I'm only posting this now. My apologies! Anyway, we're now close to that chapter where Tay and Laura decided where they really want to take their relationship. Any guesses where that'd be? Haha.

**Guest (who's happy i'm back haha), **Thank you! I'm happy I'm back, too! =)

**Gabi, **I'm really happy that you liked the previous chapter! Yeah, Tay and Laura are always cute, right? Love you, girl. Thank you! Sorry this chapter took a while to get posted. xo!

**jo michael, **Yeah, well your reviews always make me happy so I'm only returning the favour. Haha. Thank you very much, I'm doing my best to enjoy the summer lol. You, too! And also, I'm happy that you liked the previous chapter, wonderful review as always, you never fail to make me smile =) Lots of love to you, too. Thank you again =)

**stargatejumper10, **Will they or won't they? That is the question. Haha.

**moanzs, **Hey, thank you! Ohhh, you'll know whether you're right or wrong in the next few chapters. Haha. Thank you for another kind review, you're always so wonderful. Have a great day! =)

**FFChik, **Yeah, and here's another Tasho-filled chapter. I love her too much it hurts, lol. Ooh yeah, drunk Tay is always a favourite of mine to write haha. Thank you for the review, you're awesome! =)

**w4nderer, **Wow, thank you for that review, it's really sweet. Yeah, I try to make this one look as real as possible (even though it's unfortunately far from the truth lol) Thank you, I'm glad this is keeping you entertained. =)

**Marijn, **Marijn, hi girl! I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere again. Lol. Yeah, we're almost there. They'd finally decide *crossed fingers* =)) Thank you, you're too great! Love you back, girl. Hugs and kisses!

**Ellen, **Wow, thank you! Uhm, I don't think this counts as a fan art, though? But even if it does, I still can't join coz I'm way too far from New York. That's really a bummer. But thank you that you think this is worth submitting! =)


	30. Chapter 30 - Starting Over Again

**Chapter 30 – Starting Over Again**

Natasha had left a couple of minutes now but Taylor and Laura hadn't spoken a word to each other yet. They haven't even looked at each other's way. They both just stayed still, not knowing what to do next. The issue they'd been trying to avoid for as long as they could was now open and there was no choice but to face it. It was good while it lasted.

Laura then noticed how Taylor massaged her temples and remembered that she had too much to drink and needed to get home. "Hey..."

Taylor was surprised to hear Laura speak that her head immediately shot up to look at her. "Yeah?" She regretted this right at that second because she felt as if her chair started wobbling.

"You really should go home. Come on, I'll drive you."

Taylor shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. I can go home by myself." She stood up but felt the world spin that she almost fell. Thank god for the table beside her.

Laura smirked. "Yeah, I think you really can." She shook her head as she made her way towards Taylor. She could be really stubborn when she wanted to. "Come on." She was about to touch Taylor's arm to support her but Taylor jerked her arm away from her. "So we're back to that?" Laura sighed as she asked, sadly.

"No. I'm sorry. I just think... I think Natasha's right."

"I know, Taylor. But I'm not gonna have sex with you, okay? I'm just gonna bring you home."

Taylor smiled. "You're right. I'm sorry. Okay then. Let's go home."

Laura brought Taylor to her car and drove her home. The whole time, both of them stayed quiet, Laura tried focusing on the road, and Taylor just had her eyes shut. They weren't trying to ignore each other. They just both knew that it wasn't the right time to talk about what needed to be discussed between them.

They arrived at Taylor's place almost half an hour later. "We're here," Laura softly said as she woke Taylor. The blonde had not been able to fight off the heaviness of her eyelids as she had fallen asleep on their way here.

Taylor slowly opened her eyes, and looked out the window. "Oh, right." She sat up and then looked at Laura. "Thank you," she smiled a bit and started opening the car. "Good night."

Right before Taylor could get out of her car, she grasped her hand and look her in the eye. "Tay..."

Taylor looked at Laura's hand on her before staring back at her, "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry... for everything."

Taylor just smiled. "I know. I'm sorry, too."

-o-o-o-

Taylor woke up feeling like someone was pounding on her head. She tried sitting up but that only made matters worse because her room suddenly felt like it was spinning. Then that's when she noticed someone lying beside her. It was Laura with her back on her.

There was a blanket all over her and all she could see was her hair draped all over her bare shoulders. She tried remembering what happened last night, if something happened between her and Laura again, but couldn't remember anything. It was probably because it was still too early, the clock read 5:47am, for her mind to function properly. She looked underneath her own blanket and got even more confused when she noticed that she was fully clothed.

She felt her head wobble again so she just decided to go back to sleep and just settle this with Laura when they woke up.

Few hours later, Taylor woke up to a delicious-smelling scent whatever that was. She looked beside her and saw that Laura wasn't there anymore, so she figured she must have been the one cooking. She didn't know what to feel. This was the first time Laura was cooking for her, or them, again in a really long time and she didn't know if it was a good or bad idea.

She then went to the bathroom and did her morning rituals before joining Laura downstairs. "Good morning," Taylor greeted.

"Hey," said Laura, wearing an oversized shirt. Just a shirt.

Taylor thought she looked sexy as hell, but dismissed the thought as soon as it reached her mind.

"Sorry I crashed your kitchen. I thought you would need something to eat when you woke up so I just, you know."

"No, it's okay. That's actually a good idea. I'm starving." Taylor was still not sure why Laura was in her house when the last thing she remembered was her getting out of her car and going inside her place alone. She also wanted to ask whether something happened to them last night but didn't know how to bring it up. "Uhm... remind me why you're here again?" She saw Laura's eyebrows shot up as a smirk formed on her lips. "And I don't mean that in a bad way. I just... don't remember anything. Well, that's not entirely true. I remember you leaving."

Laura chuckled. "Yeah, I did leave. But I came back. I know you when you're drunk and you can be pretty... uncoordinated, so, you know, I figured I should just come back and help you." Taylor just kept nodding and Laura noticed how she seemed as if she wanted to ask more. "Do you have any other questions? Are you wondering how I got in? I still have your key, remember?"

"No, that's not it..." Taylor paused, not sure if it was a good idea to ask Laura about this.

"Then what is it?" asked Laura as she settled herself on the table. They both started eating.

"I woke up earlier today, and you were beside me... and you were... n-naked." She saw Laura's jaw drop and she wasn't sure why. "Not that it's a big deal, I mean, it's normal, we do that a lot... I just... I just don't know why I don't remember anything." It's Laura. She was good, no matter how drunk Taylor was, she would've remembered.

"I was naked? When was I ever naked?"

"Earlier. I saw you, you were beside me."

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming? I wasn't naked." Then Laura figured out why Taylor must have thought she was naked. She stood up then started lifting her shirt up, causing Taylor to stop her.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Showing you that I wasn't naked earlier." She lifted her shirt up, revealing her in just her underwear, and beneath the shirt was a black tube top.

Seeing Laura's long, sexy legs kept Taylor's mind from immediately grasping what Laura was trying to show her. When she managed to keep herself together, she pieced two and two together. Laura was just wearing a tube top earlier. She wasn't naked. That's when she felt her face grow hot out of embarrassment. "Oh my god. I feel so stupid, I thought..." She ran her hands all over her face. "I'm sorry. It was really early and I thought—"

"Taylor," Laura cut her off. "It's okay. Don't worry about it." She was wearing this smile that that showed almost all her teeth. "I just can't believe you'd think I'd sexually assault you while you were unconscious," she then let out a laugh.

"Shut up! I already feel bad as it is."

"Sorry, I was kidding. Lighten up, girl." Laura said as she continued laughing.

"Why are you wearing an overly-sized shirt anyway? Where'd you get that?"

"From my bag," answered Laura, now looking as confused as Taylor was. "I didn't know how this got there, honestly. But thank God for it, I had something to sleep in last night."

"But you were just wearing a tube when I—what? I'm confused."

"Yeah, I removed it a few hours later when I started feeling hot."

It was Taylor's time to smirk. "You felt hot? While you were beside me?"

Laura chuckled. "It's not like that. Don't flatter yourself too much."

"Oh no, see I know I don't need to do that coz' you're kinda doing that yourself already."

"Oh, really?" asked Laura, smiling widely.

For a moment, they just stared into each other's eyes, exchanging smiles they haven't done in a long time. And that's when Taylor realized that this was the real them, not some crazy fuck buddies who would do it just for the sake of doing it. They were two people with a really deep connection that went beyond anything physical.

Taylor was the one who broke the exchange of stares when she bowed. When she looked back at Laura, she knew it was time to talk about an issue they'd been trying to dodge for quite a long time. "So... about last night..."

Laura lightly scratched the side of her head as she nodded. "I guess the time has finally come to talk about that, huh?"

"Yeah, or else Tasho's probably gonna kill us already," Taylor responded, still smiling despite the loud thumping in her heart.

There were probably a million times when she's thought of the consequences this 'friends with benefits' thing with Laura would bring up. And there were also as much times that she chose to ignore those thoughts, unable to face the reality of it all. Now, the reality was almost smacking her right in the face, and she could not just ignore it any longer.

"Natasha's right. We can't keep doing this. I mean, sure, it's fun. It's... you know. It's great and all, but we both know that at some point, it's either this is gonna bring us back together or it's gonna ruin us." Taylor paused, trying to memorize every detail on Laura's face, because there was a part of her that felt like this was gonna be the last time she could stare at her face like this. "And we know that it's not gonna be the former."

Laura nodded. "You're right." She smiled, but she knew that it wasn't an evidence of what she was feeling at that moment because she was suddenly feeling sad. She had seen this coming, and she thought that she had already prepared herself for this moment, but she was wrong. It felt like saying goodbye to Taylor for the hundredth time around.

Taylor did not know what else to say. She didn't realize this was gonna be harder than she expected it to be.

"But..." Laura spoke, "...how do we do this now? I mean, where do we go back from here? Do we start... ignoring each other again? Or... I don't know. What do we do now?" She almost wanted to beg Taylor not to say that they should go back to ignoring each other again, and was glad that she didn't. Because how pathetic would that be? If Taylor chose that, she had no right to keep her from doing so.

Taylor could not answer immediately. There was a part of her that wondered how they would go anywhere else from here. They had been a lot to each other, co-workers, friends, girlfriends, strangers, and as ridiculous as it seemed, friends with benefits. There was nothing to go forward to from those things, there was only going back. And she didn't know where to go back to.

But there was one thing that she was sure of. And that's the fact that she didn't want Laura out of her life. Whatever happened between them, no matter how crazy and painful they were, it just wasn't an option to completely ignore her again after this. And even if she wanted to, it still wouldn't be possible given that they worked together. Plus, she really didn't want to do that. She just couldn't.

"God, I hope not. I can't even imagine having to ignore you for the rest of time. I just... I can't do that. We've gone so far. I mean, we've worked things out, right? Ever since... you know. We can be friends... right?"

Laura almost sighed out of relief. "Definitely." She kept nodding, unsure what to feel at that moment, whether she should be happy that they were gonna stay friends, or disappointed that they were gonna stay _friends._ "So..." She stared at Taylor, and looking at her, she knew how she felt. She was happy... that she was gonna stay in her life, no matter what their relationship was gonna be. "Friends?"

Taylor smiled, not knowing that she was feeling the exact same thing Laura felt at that time. "Friends." And after a split second, she added. "Minus the benefits."

Laura chuckled at this. "Minus the benefits."

They then closed the gap between them and gave each other a hug. Somehow, they felt as if a something heavy was lifted off their chests.

Then they broke the hug.

Looking at each other's eyes, they knew they'd be fine.

**A/N:**

Yep, we've finally reached the 30th chapter! And I've also received exactly 200 reviews and I can't thank you guys enough for that. Virtual group hug! =)

And just a heads up, this fic only has 6 chapters left. I know some of you might be disappointed (or you already are) that this didn't involve too much Laylor fluff just like some of the other fics out there. I just really wanted to make a story that 'kind of' (maybe) shows the ups and downs of a relationship. I don't know if I was successful with that but hopefully I came close even just a little. Haha.

Please tell me what you guys think, it really helps me. Thank you! =)

**Guest (who said this is his/her favourite), **Thank you! That really means a lot =') I'm sorry for making you cry, though. Hope you stick with this story whatever happens on the last few chapters. =)

**Ellen, **Aww, that's really sweet. I tried to make Tasho the one to voice out what some (or probably most?) readers think of what's going on between Laura and Tay coz she seems like a really good friend of theirs (irl) Not that I know anything, lol. Yeah, well we can only imagine (the things that might have gone on or be going on between Laylor). And thank you for your review, it's really sweet. Much love, girl!

**jo michael, **You are lovely, as well! Your reviews are always so wonderful. You know what if we knew each other irl, I think we'd be great friends. Haha. Anyway, now they've made a decision, please don't hate me hahaha. And thank you! Your reviews are addicting, too! Have an awesome day, my friend!

**moanzs, **Thank you! I'm really glad you loved the previous chapter =) And yeah, Tasho is our queen, haha. BUT now, I don't know how you're gonna react to this chapter. *peace man*

**Guest, **Thank you! Hmm, be careful what you wish for. Lol. JK. =))

**iamsober, **Hi there! I'm sorry if you think that way (that this is biased towards Laura) I really didn't mean for this to seem like that. Anyway, thank you for your review! It'll really help me become a better writer (hopefully, lol) And don't worry, I'm not offended or anything. I'm actually thankful because despite all of that, you still read up until the last chapter (again, hopefully?) Haha. But seriously, thanks again! =)

**Lily, **I really hope they're not really ignoring each other irl. Maybe we just haven't seen their interactions but I'd like to think they still talk once in a while. But yeah, photos of them together wouldn't hurt, lol. And I can't wait for the premier, I hope we really do get Laylor interactions. Thank you!

**Explosiosinthesky, **A lot of people seem to be so surprised that Natasha's straight and Idk why. Haha. Here's your update, hope you like this one thank you!

**Gabi, **Thank you! I'm so happy that people are loving Natasha in this story. I love her to bits. Haha. Yeah, they do love drama (just like me, I guess) Love you back! xo 3

**Marijn, **Awww, now you're just spoiling me with your kind words *emoji with heart eyes* lol. Love you, girl! You're one of the best reviewers I've met here. I'm going to miss 'talking' to you when this one's over =( And wow, you're really good at guessing, huh? =)))

**FFChik, **Yeah, everyone really needs a friend like Tasho =) I'm sorry if the last chapter was frustrating. Well, now at least they've already decided on what to do with themselves? Thank you for your reviews, they're always so insightful =)

**cranberries, **Aww, sorry I didn't mean for Taylor to look pathetic here! I just really wanted to show how much she didn't want to give up on her relationship with Laura so easily and how hard it was for her to let her go as quickly. Anyway, thank you for your review. Don't worry, I think no more Taylor chasing Laura for a while. Lol.

**SeriouslyAwesome, **Please read your username to yourself because that really describes you well! Thank you for your review, hope you like this update =)


	31. Chapter 31 - Months Later

**Chapter 31 – Months Later**

Falling in love is one of the weirdest fucking feelings in the world. You find the stupidest jokes painfully funny, you consider messy hair surprisingly sexy, you feel passionately contented with just watching the rising and falling of one's chest as you watch that person sleep. You just see the beauty in all things you would probably find insane if you're just your normal self and not head over heels for another human being.

And yet, you can't help but fall in love over and over again, no matter how weird it is, no matter how much pain it causes you. Because it's also one of the most wonderful feelings there is. Waking up and looking forward to the day not because of the day itself but just because you know that other person, the one you're crazily in love with, exists. Looking at that person smile, and drowning at that smile, because it's the most beautiful thing you'd ever see. Going through a terrible time, but not minding it, because you have someone you can share that awful time with.

Taylor missed all that. And looking at the person peacefully sleeping beside her, she looked back at the past few months and thought of how everything that had happened got her here.

A few weeks after she and Laura finally settled things between them, when they'd finally stopped fucking just for the sake of it, she found herself having withdrawals of her. She missed it, every touch, every kiss, every moan she'd hear from her and from her own self, she missed all of those. And most especially, she missed her.

When OITNB was finally wrapped up, for good, there was not much reason for her and Laura to see each other anymore. Sure, they decided on being friends, on staying in each other's lives, but she knew that they really did not mean for that to be literally taken.

A month passed. They had not seen each other at all or even spoken to each other, or even heard any news from each other, except for the very rare Twitter or Instagram posts.

Another month passed, they had finally heard from each other. Christmas had passed, they'd sent each other text messages, simple greetings for the holidays. Then New Year came, the next time they'd sent each other messages since Christmas, same greetings, but this time with the painful memory of the past New Year, the one they spent together, with Laura's family, the one Taylor considered as the best New Year of her life. Then came the awards season, the only time they had seen each other and the last time they were going to in another long time.

And then Taylor met someone. She liked him, more than she thought she would, more than she would've let herself feel, if only she had any control of her own feelings. So she let herself succumb to this dangerous feeling that had hurt her more than she could handle twice in her life now. Because she was a human being, who had needs, who needed to be loved, and who needed to make another person feel that exact same thing.

His name was Finn. They'd been together for more than a month now. He was everything she needed him to be. He was wonderful, almost perfect. Almost every day, he would call her and ask her how her day was. He was there for her when she needed him, even without her asking.

But looking at him now, with his eyes closed, and steady breathing, she knew there was something missing. She didn't feel the flutters in her stomach whenever she would look at him. She would always laugh at his jokes but she would secretly groan inside because those jokes were actually annoying. And now she wondered why after all this time that they were together, she was only thinking about these things now.

Then absentmindedly, she checked her phone for the time and date. It was almost eight in the morning. It was Monday, the 7th of March. It was Laura's birthday.

-o-o-o-

Laura woke up and instantly checked her phone. She didn't even realize what day it was until she did so. She only knew it was that time of the year again when she saw more than ten text messages, and missed calls. She chose to ignore those things first. Instead, she checked her Twitter and Instagram accounts and immediately smiled at the overwhelming birthday greetings from her fans all over the world. Knowing she was loved that much by so many people, she knew it was gonna be a good day.

After checking those birthday greetings, she then checked her messages from the people who were actually in her life, physically. She also felt warmth in her chest as she checked each and every message. Until she saw one particular message she never expected to receive today.

It was from Taylor.

"_**Hi, good morning! Happy birthday. I miss you."**_

It was that simple. The usual greeting for a person who had a birthday. She had the same message from five other different people today. And yet, this one's different.

She hadn't talked to Taylor, and even seen her, in more than a month now. She didn't find this surprising, truthfully. After they'd decided to finally just be friends, without the benefits, she knew there was gonna be a very rare chance that they'd actually do what normal friends usually did. She hoped that it wouldn't be the case, though, and she actually, at some point, believed they were gonna be able to do just that. But it wasn't that easy. It was never going to be easy. And she knew that.

That's why she wasn't disappointed during the first month, when they had barely spoken to each other, or not talk at all. She didn't even remember anymore. And then when there were times when they would have to see each other because of work, she also expected to only have a somewhat civil interaction with her. It was never going to be the same, she thought. And she was right. And she was okay with it.

And then, she found out that she had started seeing another person, a guy. She had honestly expected to feel jealous, to be hurt, to feel regret that she had let her go. To her own surprise, she didn't.

Aside from the fact that they'd been over for more than half a year now, she also knew that she deserved it. She was one of the best people she had ever known in her entire life, and she deserved to be happy, to be with someone who would love her more than she ever did, and someone who wouldn't hurt her like she'd done. If this guy was that person, she was gonna be happy for them, for her most especially, and she was. She was happy for her.

For a while, she had successfully taken Taylor off her mind. She had gone through days without having thought of her, without wondering what she was doing at the moment, how she was feeling. She had become just like any of her other acquaintances, any other co-worker. She had become someone who existed in her life just like any other person she knew. She was no longer any different from them all.

_Until today._

She decided to reply to her message, and in a really long time, she hoped that they'd started talking again, more than just any cursory conversations they'd had in the past few months, albeit through text messages.

_**Laura: **__Hey, thanks, girl! I miss you, too. It's been a while._

_**Taylor: **__I know, sorry I hadn't kept in touch. Had been in the middle of something lately._

_**Laura: **__Oh, don't worry about it. Had been busy, too. So, how are you doing?_

_**Taylor: **__Doing good! Finally found a time to rest. I needed this, you know we're back in the set of Orange in a couple of weeks._

_**Laura: **__I know! Can't wait to see all of you._

_**Taylor: **__Me, too! Anyway, I gotta get going. The boyfriend is up. Happy birthday again, have a great one!_

And with that, the conversation was over. So much for more than a cursory conversation. She was a bit disappointed but she had to acknowledge that it was always gonna be that way now.

One thing that she didn't acknowledge? That little pang in her chest when she read the word 'boyfriend' in Taylor's text.

-o-o-o-

For the fifth time around, they were back on the set of Orange Is The New Black. There were a lot of chatting, you could barely hear yourself. It was evident how much everyone had missed everyone. For a while, no one could get through a scene without laughing, until Jenji would finally cut in and act mad, unsuccessfully. All other things considered, it was a good freaking day.

It wasn't until Taylor and Laura were packed up that they had actually approached each other and talked. It was surprising for both of them how easy it felt to be around each other. They had actually thought they'd be back to the awkward-I-can't-act-properly-around-you again, but they couldn't be more wrong. They were even the only people who had managed to be able to do a scene in one take only. And it felt surreal.

"Hey." It was Laura who approached Taylor first. She didn't realize how much she had actually missed her, until now, when they were facing each other, not just as Alex and Piper. She missed her, and a little bit inside her hoped that Taylor did, too. Even if that was a long shot.

"Hi! Good scene, huh?" Taylor was smiling, and it was worrying her how new this felt, as if she hadn't smiled like this in a long time, when in reality, she actually had. Or maybe those smiles were different. With Laura, everything was different.

"Yes! It's awesome," she chuckled, as she secretly took in how Taylor looked. She was now dressed in her normal clothes, not the khaki uniform they wore on the set, and she looked gorgeous. She was wearing just a simple white shirt and black leggings, and Laura found her utterly beautiful. She was starting to wonder why she was suddenly feeling these things again. But then again, Taylor had always looked gorgeous to her, even before they were even together.

"Definitely," Taylor answered back. She found it stupid how she considered this conversation the most interesting one she'd had today, when it couldn't even be called a conversation at all. She attributed it to the fact that she had talked to Laura the least during their hiatus but maybe it was something much more than that. But she wasn't gonna go there. She shouldn't. And she didn't want to.

After a few more exchange of one to three-word sentences to each other, Taylor's phone had rung. "Excuse me," she told Laura but instead of leaving, she answered the phone in front of her. "Hey, babe."

At that point, Laura wanted to leave, to tell Taylor goodbye and just go home. But she couldn't. She stood there, listened to her talk to obviously her boyfriend, feeling that same pang in her chest she felt just a few weeks ago.

"Okay then, I'll just wait for you here. Bye." She paused. "Yeah, I love you, too." She didn't mean to, but before she could stop herself, she had looked at Laura when she spoke those last four words. She expected for her to look away, but she just smiled. But it was a different kind of smile. And she couldn't make up what it was, because as soon as she looked at her, she had immediately looked away.

The call had ended and she faced Laura again. "So," she took her bag and slung it on her shoulder. "Finn's picking me up. He'd be here any minute now."

Laura just nodded, feeling as if she was being suffocated as minutes passed by. "Okay. Good." She tried racking her brain for reasons why she was suddenly feeling that way but she ended up with nothing. "Do you, uh, want me to wait with you here or something?"

"Uh, no!" Taylor almost cursed herself for answering so fast. "I mean, thanks. But I'll be fine here. You should just head home, it's kind of late."

Laura knew Taylor so much that she could tell there was something Taylor was not telling her. She saw hesitance that glinted in her eyes and she had an idea why. Maybe it wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help but ask. "Does he... not know about me, us, I mean?"

"No, he does," answered Taylor, obviously starting to become uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. "I mean, it was kind of a public information, right?"

"But?"

Taylor hated that Laura knew her too well for her to keep any secrets from her. She considered lying, but she couldn't form any coherent thought in her mind except what the truth really was. "It's just... I mean, he's... he's not very comfortable about us." She let her last word hang, unable to justify it, as if she had an obligation to justify it in the first place. She saw hurt in Laura's eyes, if she saw right, and at that point, she felt annoyance towards his boyfriend. "I'm sorry—"

But Laura cut her off. "Don't." She tried to smile. "I understand. I should keep going then. Before he sees me." She started walking away from Taylor, wrapping her arms around her shoulders, because she suddenly felt so cold.

"Laura—" Taylor tried calling out to Laura, but she knew it was too late. She was too far from her now. And she knew that it was more than just a physical distance.

**A/N:**

You guys are seriously so awesome I can't say it enough. I kinda feel sad that this fic is coming to its end because I'm gonna miss interacting with all of you.

**w4nderer, **So sorry that it's not the 'starting over' that you expected! *peace and love, man*

**g4gusgrisam, **Thank you for your review! Hope you stick with the story no matter what happens haha.

**xunconsciousx, **Ooooh, noting the word 'girlfriend,' I'm guessing things turned out great for both of you? =)) Yeah, it really does. Sometimes, it's not that easy to make a decision when it comes to these things. I know 'love' is pretty much a big factor, but sometimes, there are just things that you need to consider, too. =)

**cranberries, **Thank you! I'm glad that you like this fic. And yeah, unfortunately, I can't stretch the story any longer. =(

**Anas, **Wow, your review really made my day! The fact that you think this is different (in a hopefully good way) from the others really means a lot to me =) Thank you for dropping a review, I really love exchanging messages with my readers, I feel like I'm talking to friends. Thanks again, you're wonderful! =) And hello, Europe! =)

**moanzs, **Yeah, I guess they've gone through a lot before this chapter but I think I had to let them go through those things before they realize what they really want. =) Anyway, thank you for the review! Only few chapters before you find out if they're endgame or not, lol. I'm gonna miss talking to you!

**Gabi, **Aww, thanks girl! *happy tears* you made this ride so much fun, you guys are so wonderful! =) I am actually working on another fic but I think I won't be able to post it in a while. Hope you look out for that one! Love you back! Hugs and kisses!

**SeriouslyAwesome, **I'm sad, too! I'm really gonna miss talking to all of you wonderful people. And to your request, you're gonna find out soon enough, lol. Thanks again! You are seriously awesome! =)

**FFChik, **Glad you think so! Thanks for another review! =)

**Guest (filmmaker), **Hi there! Hmmm, okay you have five chapters left to know if we think the same thing, right? Lol. And also, I tried following the link you put in your review but sadly I can't open it =( Maybe try sending it again to me through PM? Idk if that'd make any difference but you can try. Thank you for your beautiful review, dear =)

**Ellen, **Hi, girl! I'll miss talking to you, too! But maybe we can send each other PMs every now and then, right? =) Thank you for always leaving reviews on every chapter, I can't thank you enough! You're the amazing one and I honestly love talking to you! Love you much! Hugs and kisses! (And I'm a little confused, you're also the filmmaker one? Lol) Can't open the link, sorry =(

**I3VauseMan, **Aww, thank you! I really love replying to each and every message coz it's my way of saying I appreciate the time they're (you're) spending to leave review on my little fic =) My readers are so awesome I can't help but tell them (you) that, lol. Oh me too! I love A/Us! They're my favourite kind. Hm, anyway about the thing that Laura hates Pete? I think I've she's acknowledged that, she knew she did the same thing so she couldn't really hate Pete anymore. Idk if that wasn't clear, but it it wasn't, I'm really sorry! *PEACE YO* =) And about that communication thingy, that's really one of her flaws. It'd be addressed in the later chapters I promise =) Hey I looooove your review don't apologize! I learn from these things so please keep it up. And yeah, Tayloface rocks! Sorry I hurt her a lot here. LOL. Again, thank you for that wonderful review. You rock!

**jo michael, **Yo, man! I'm doing great. I just got home from a seven-hour trip I'm really exhausted so I feel like I'm high or something haha. How about you? Yeah, only six (well, five now) chapters left. I hope you like how this one turns out, (no matter how it does). I'm gonna miss talking to you. Stay in touch, yeah? =) Thank you! Hugs and kisses!


	32. Chapter 32 - Before It's Too Late

**Chapter 32 – Before It's Too Late**

The next time Taylor went to work, she expected Laura to ignore her, to walk past her as if she was some kind of a ghost, or someone who didn't exist. So, she was surprised when Laura approached her with script on her hands.

"Hey, do you have time to read lines with me?"

She wasn't acting strangely, and that's what made this even stranger for Taylor. Laura was okay. And Taylor hated that she was okay. Because she wasn't. "Uhh, yeah, of course!" She studied Laura, and looked for any signs that could show her that she was pissed about last night, but there wasn't any.

They started reading lines, but Taylor kept messing up, that she quickly apologized and politely excused herself. She left Laura feeling confused.

Then Natasha came. "Hey, what happened?" She must have seen Taylor storm out.

"I don't know, actually. We were just reading lines. She kind of kept making mistakes, and maybe she felt bad..." She paused, questions filling her head, "...so she just left."

Laura was trying so hard to act normally because she wanted her friendship with Taylor to actually work. She hated that they made a pact to stay friends but didn't do anything about it afterwards. Even if she spent the last few nights almost sleepless because she couldn't get her and her boyfriend off of her mind, she wanted to be friends with her. That was all she got left.

When she reached her place that first night that they were back to work, she knew then why she was suddenly feeling those things. She had successfully made herself believe that she was over Taylor, that she had left their past behind her. But that was until she had contact with her again, until she was faced with the painful reality that she would never be over her no matter how much time would pass or how long she was gonna distant herself from her.

It was such a pain in the ass at first. Because it had been way too long, for crying out loud. It had been such a merry go round for quite some time now and she just wanted to be done with it. But it wasn't possible. Because she loved Taylor way too much to ever be over her. And she had accepted that now. That she was still in love with her, and probably always would. But she let her go, and now she was in-love with someone else. She had to be okay with that, or else she was gonna lose her completely.

And that was something she just wasn't ready for yet.

-o-o-o-

Taylor was back at home and ever since she had read lines with Laura that day, she hadn't spoken to her again, except when they did their scene together. She couldn't face her without giving away what she was feeling at that moment. Something she wanted to ignore because it wasn't right, but something so inevitable she knew would keep biting her in the ass no matter what.

She was with a really great guy right now, someone so amazing she would be called the most foolish woman in the world if she let him go. But their relationship did not feel right; she did not even feel it at all. At first, she was happy. But days and weeks passed, and she just could not lie to herself anymore. He was a great company, she loved being with him. But she wasn't in-love with him.

And it wouldn't take a genius to figure out why.

It was still Laura.

It had always been Laura.

And it was _always_ gonna be Laura.

-o-o-o-

Laura was having her only day off from work at home when an unregistered number started calling her. At first she wanted to ignore it but curiosity got the best of her and she answered it. And when she did, to say she was surprised with who was calling was an understatement.

-o-o-o-

They were at a cafe, too far from any place anyone she knew would see them. He decided on the time, she decided on the place.

"So," he started, quite reluctantly. "How are you?"

She sighed at his attempt to start any small talk. "Look, I don't wanna sound rude but I really don't have all day. So I think whatever you wanna tell me, you should tell me now." He looked surprised by her bluntness. Maybe he was expecting a soft-spoken woman or whatever her opposite was. Well, she wasn't planning on being nice today, and probably ever, to him.

"Okay," he nodded. "I'm sorry." He paused, thinking on how to start. "Do you wanna know what Taylor told me months ago? This was a few days after you saw her at my house, I'm not sure if you remember that day."

Laura still wasn't sure why she had agreed to meet up with this guy. Aside from the fact that they had both gone out with the same girl, they didn't really know each other, and there was nothing they could talk about that might make sense. "What?" She of course remembered that day, and cringed at the thought. That wasn't a good day.

"She thanked me... for cheating on her. I remember, because I never expected that she would ever tell me that."

This surprised Laura. He had finally gotten her attention. "She did what?"

Peter smiled, but it was a sad one. "Yeah, she did. She told me that if I didn't cheat on her, she wouldn't be with the person she was with at the time... someone she wouldn't trade for anything, someone she couldn't live without, and someone she loved so much." He paused and looked Laura in the eye, trying to assess her reaction, unsuccessfully. "I'm assuming that's you."

Laura did not know how to react, and what to feel. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because after all this time, I still love her... so much."

Laura wanted to laugh at what was happening right now. Here were two people who had fallen madly in-love with Taylor, but hurt her way too much, and even if way too long time had passed, they still felt the same thing they did for her before. Maybe Taylor had that effect on people.

Oblivious of what was going on in her mind, Peter continued. "I know, I don't have the right to say or feel this way after what I've done to her, but I really do. I still feel the same way I've always felt for her. But I let her go. Because I was a moron."

"_And so was I," _Laura thought.

"I probably still am. And now I have to live every damn day of my life regretting that because knowing you don't get to be with the person you love the most ever, it's the shittiest thing someone can ever feel. I feel it every day and it sucks." He bowed, not wanting the woman in front of her to see the pain in his eyes. But after taking a deep breath, he managed to look at her again. "And I don't want her to go through that."

No matter how much he tried to hide it, Laura could see and feel the pain that Pete was feeling. And she was surprised that she felt bad for him. If this was happening months ago, she would've probably laughed at his face and told him that he deserved that for hurting Taylor. But who was she to talk, really? She did just the same.

But she didn't understand the last part he said. Of course he didn't. Who did, anyway? But Taylor wasn't gonna go through that. Because she was with someone new she loved. Didn't Peter know about that? Maybe Taylor didn't want him to know, or they hadn't spoken since. So she kept quiet about it, because she knew it wasn't her place to tell him.

She then sighed before speaking, still unsure what his purpose was for telling these things to her. "We've been over for months, almost a year, why are you only telling me all this now? It doesn't make any sense."

"Because she came to me last night."

This surprised Laura even more. "She came to you?" Things started running in her mind, reasons on why Taylor would go see Pete. Had they went back to being friends? As far as she knew, Taylor didn't ever wanna see him again. But then again, she hadn't spoken to her in a long time. Too much might have happened and there was no way she would know all of those.

Peter nodded. "Yes. I was surprised, too. The last time she saw me before last night, she made it clear that she didn't want to see me again, ever. But I guess she was past that now. Because she came to tell me that she had forgiven me."

At that point Laura knew that she had fallen in love with Taylor even more, something she thought wasn't possible anymore because she loved her too much already. Once again, Taylor had proven that she was the nicest person in the world, for being able to forgive someone who had caused her so much pain.

Peter looked at Laura intently, wondering how she would react to what he was gonna say next. "That was before she told me how little pain she felt when we broke up as compared to how she felt when you left her. "

Laura felt as if someone had stabbed her with a million knives and twisted them all at the same time. "Well, thanks. That really makes me feel so good." She glared at him, finally understanding why he was here in front of her. He wanted to slap in her face that she was no different than him. As if she didn't know that already. She knew she deserved that. But not from him. They were both as terrible as each other.

Pete shook his head, realizing how his previous statement must have sounded. "No, that's not what I meant. Look, I am not telling you all of this to make you feel bad. I am telling you this because I care for her. And I want to make up for what I did to her before. I want you to realize what you're losing if you let her go."

"I already did, Peter. I've let her go, and I know what I've lost. But there's no point in all of this, because she's with someone else now. And they're happy. And he loves her, hopefully more than we ever did. And I know..." She swallowed a lump in her throat, knowing what she'd say next would hurt her like crazy. "And I know that she loves him, too."

For a moment, Peter looked confused. And then he realized one thing. "You don't know."

"I don't know what?"

"She broke up with him. It's been almost a week now."

"What?" And that's when Laura realized. It had been days that she didn't see him pick Taylor up from work. She thought it was because Taylor asked him not to because she didn't want him to see her, but it was actually because they had broken up. But why? They seemed happy. Well, happier than her anyway.

"They're over. She told me herself. She told me she didn't love him, that she never did. Because she loves you... way, way more than she ever loved me, or anyone for that matter. So... if I had hurt her a lot, imagine what she must have felt when you broke up. She's still hurting. And she doesn't deserve that. We both know it. And I know how much you love her, too. It's a win-win for you both."

Laura suddenly felt as if someone was choking her. Taylor still loved her. She should be happy. But instead, she wanted to cry, and she felt stupid. She couldn't just cry in front of some stranger. "It's not that easy. I'm a coward, okay? Why do you think I even broke up with her even though I loved..." _love,_ she corrected herself silently, "...her way too much? If we get back together, I'm just gonna hurt her over and over again. I don't wanna do that to her."

"Funny, coz I think you're already doing that."

Laura looked away. He was right. "She should've moved on by now. We both should have." Laura wasn't sure why she was finding a way to get out of this. She loved Taylor. And Taylor loved her, too. What on earth was her stupid mind trying to make her do?

"Haven't you listened to anything I said? She loves you. She still does, and probably always will. And looking at you now, I'm pretty sure you feel exactly the same thing." He stopped, waiting for her to answer. When she didn't, he decided to get up. "I've said everything I had to say. It's up to you now. I just hope you can make up your mind before it's too late."

**A/N:**

Hi, my loves! So, Pete returns! I almost slapped myself when I realized that the names I gave Taylor's 'guys' in this fic are Polly's husband (Pete) and kid's (Finn) names. Lol. I swear that wasn't intentional. Haha.

Anyway, we're so close to the end! *drum roll* Idk what the drum roll is for. I'm crazy today. Don't mind me. Lol. *wink wink*

**Marijn, **Hi there, girl! I'm so sorry about the last chapter =(( I missed your name on my reviews and I feel really bad. Forgive me? Here's some pies for you =) Again, my apologies! xo Anyway, thank you for your reviews the last two chapters! And yeah, I'm gonna miss talking to you, too. But we can always send PMs to each other, yknow =) I'm glad you loved the previous chapter! Hope you love this one, too. Love you back, girl! HUGSSSSSSSS!

**xunconsciousx, **Wow, good for you! More happy and loving years to you both! 3 Yeah, thank you! And also, thank you for leaving reviews every chapter!

**Gabi, **So sorry for all the stress this fan fiction is causing you, haha. Please bear with me. Love you back, girl! Hope you'll like this chapter! *crosses fingers*

**BethanyTaylorWilliams, **Hi, if I'm not mistaken this is your first review? So hello! I loooove meeting new people =) Wow, thank you very much! Reading this 3x is a huge compliment to me and I really can't thank you enough. Sending you lots of hugs and kisses. Haha. I hope you stick with the story no matter what happens. Again, thank you, you're lovely =)

**lily, **Thank you for that wonderful review! I'm happy that you trust me with this, don't give up on me yet. Maybe good things will happen soon! Haha.

**Anas, **Yeah, I am proud of it! Especially because it's helped me meet a lot of wonderful people (like you!) even if it's just through the reviews. Thanks again! Your kind words make my heart swell *happy tears* xo

**I3VauseMan, **I'm glad that this fan fiction made you feel that. It means it's effective, right? Haha. Awww, don't worry about it, maybe she's not the right person for you. Whoever 'the one' for you is, I'm sure she's out there and fate's only waiting for the right time for you to meet each other in the most perfect way possible, right? =) Moving on is not an easy task but I'm sure eventually, you will. Smile! There's a reason for everything =) Anyway, Tay's finally gotten rid of Finn! Yey! Thank you, your review is enough to make me smile for the rest of the month! LOL. HUGE HUG and LOTS OF KISSES to you! =')

**moanzs, **Thank you! Hopefully, yeah! But I'm not yet 100% sure if I'm going to post it. I still have to make sure that I'm going to go through it until the end coz I don't wanna post something that I won't finish because I know how much that sucks for the readers. Lol. But looking forward to your reviews again if ever I indeed post that one here. Thank you again! =)

**FFChik, **I couldn't agree more! You can't control where your heart goes, right? =)

**Ellen, **First of all, thank you for the review you left on Oblivion! =) And you're welcome, I really like replying to all of you. Thanks, too, for always leaving reviews! I love them! Hmm, maybe we can do counselling together, my problem is real-life Laylor and the fact that I haven't seen them interact in a really long time. *bummer* haha. The link still doesn't work? Maybe it's my laptop? I don't know =( But I'll wait for your PM and hopefull it'd work by then. Again, thank you and have a nice day!


	33. Chapter 33 - Coming Home

**Chapter 33 – Coming Home**

Laura went home immediately after Peter had left. Everything that Peter told her was just too much to handle all at once that she felt a very familiar swirling inside her head when she reached her place. It was that same feeling when she couldn't decide whether to break up with Taylor or not. It was that same feeling so many months ago that's making her head spin again today.

She wondered how long it was gonna take for her to get past this. Sure, she had accepted the fact that she was always gonna be in-love with Taylor, but she didn't want this constant nag within her to come with that package. It was exhausting to be thinking too much all the time and she hated it.

Guess you really couldn't always get what you wanted.

This was supposed to be easy. The woman she loved also felt the same for her, still. After every mess they had gotten themselves into, there was still that inevitable pull towards each other which they couldn't fight, the never-ending longing to still be together even after every pain they had caused each other. Never in her life would Laura have compared her relationship with Taylor to that of Alex and Piper's, but thinking about it all now, maybe it's time to change her stand on that one.

But why was it so hard? Why was it coming to a point where it almost tormented her to even just navigate through it all, to see where all of this was supposed to be headed, and to come to a decision on whether she should just walk away from this, or go back running to one of the very few things that scared her to her cores?

Thinking back, she thought of how scared she was back then, scared of something that hadn't even taken place in the first place. She was scared that Taylor would leave her, so instead she was the one who left. She felt sick to her stomach thinking back to that day, and to everything that had happened afterwards, because it was all her fault. She was the one who ran away and she was the one who gave up.

And maybe, just maybe, it was time to take those all back.

She thought of Taylor, and how she made her feel. She thought of how contented she felt whenever she would wake up and have her beautiful face the first one she'd see. She thought of how she could make her feel better every time she felt bad. She thought of how everything just seemed perfect with her even if every imperfection in this world was right in her face.

And how all of that went away when she turned her back on what they had.

And how much she missed all of that every day since, up until this very second.

And how the constant voice in her head was starting to get louder and louder, screaming at her to just step the fuck up and win the woman she loved the most back.

And how she'd finally decided... it was the time to stop her fear from getting the best of her.

It was time to get her _home_ back.

-o-o-o-

"Wow, I've told you, oops no, _nagged_ you about this a million times, and you never agreed with me. Now this guy tells you this one time and this is how you react? Can't say I'm not offended, Prepon."

It was Natasha. She and Laura met up at a bar after both their shoots ended. Laura just told her everything that Peter told her, and how this had finally made her realize about what she should do, about what she really wanted to do.

"I never said I didn't agree with you." She drank her third shot of vodka in less than ten minutes. She didn't know why she was becoming restless. And every shot she was taking was making her a bit more relaxed.

"Oh, you did!" Natasha looked at her, with a grin. She was excited and ecstatic for the things that were about to happen. If there was one person who wanted Laura to get Taylor back more than herself, it was her. Tasho knew that at some point in their lives, Taylor and Laura would finally find their way on each other's arms, no matter how long it took. Those two just loved each other way too much for them to end up any other way.

"Well, I never admitted that I agreed with you... I did. I was just... too scared. But now, I just can't live another day knowing I never tried just because I was such a freaking coward. I gotta get her back, Tasho. But I don't know how."

That was the reason she didn't go to Taylor just yet. She didn't wanna barge in her place or wherever she was and just drop this bomb on her. She had to plan carefully or she might lose her instead.

"You don't know how? You just go in there and tell her you love her and that you wanna get back with her and that you're not gonna fuck this up anymore. How hard is that to do, really?"

"Easier said than done. Sure, Peter told me that she still loves me. But he didn't say anything about her wanting me back. What if she doesn't want anything to do with me anymore? After what I've done, there's a fat chance she doesn't want to go through all of that again." And then she added, more to herself than Natasha, "Fuck, she told me that herself."

"After what you've done, she still loves you. Doesn't that tell you enough already?" Instead of answering, Laura took another shot. "What now, you're going back to being a coward again?"

"No, I just..." she shook her head, trying to shake herself off from succumbing to the alcohol that was flowing through her blood, "I just wanna think this through."

"Well, by the time you're done thinking, she may have gone off with another guy. So, take your time, by all means."

Tasho was right. She had done this before. Think and think and think and look where it got her. Maybe it was time to stop thinking and just do exactly what she felt.

-o-o-o-

It had been three days since Taylor had spoken to Peter. She still couldn't believe that she poured it all out on him. But there was no one else she could talk to. And she wanted to talk to someone who, in no chance, would ever tell Laura about it. The last thing she wanted was for her to find out about this. It was obvious that she had moved on and she didn't wanna ruin that for her.

When she broke up with Finn, she didn't think it was gonna be easy until she was already doing it. It just felt right, letting him go. But even so, she still felt guilty about it because she could see and feel that he really cared about her. She cared about him, too, but that was it, and that was never going to be enough. She knew that it would be a much bigger mistake if she had kept their relationship going even if she knew that her heart wasn't in it at all.

Right now, all she felt was the emptiness inside her. And she knew what, _who_, was gonna fill that void inside her. But that person was too far gone that she had to start learning to accept that this may be how she would always feel from now on. She would never feel complete anymore, and she felt so fucking lonely.

And she wanted to scream... because she didn't wanna feel this way for the rest of her life. She didn't want to let it suck the life out of her. But what else was there left for her to do? She couldn't have Laura back. She made it clear that this was not what she wanted. And after all those months that had passed, she was sure Laura wasn't thinking about this at all anymore.

She suddenly felt exhausted just thinking, like it had drained all the energy left inside of her. But when her eyes started to feel heavy, her phone rang.

It was Laura.

"H-hello?" For a second, she was scared to hear her voice, her beautiful voice that made her knees weak, because she knew that if she did, she was probably gonna go running to her. And that was stupid. And crazy. And pathetic.

"_Hey."_

Taylor gathered all of her strength to keep herself from crying, from begging Laura to come back to her. And she felt her body slack in doing so. She waited for her to say another word, because she couldn't speak, holding her breathe without realizing it.

"_I'm... I'm here outside your place. I know it's really late, but I really need to talk to you now."_

This was the last thing that Taylor expected Laura to say. And she sensed some urgency in her tone, as if she was running after every word, dying to keep up, afraid she wouldn't catch up if she slowed down. And she couldn't miss how Laura was slurring her words. Was she drunk? And what did she want to talk about in the middle of the night?

"_Taylor? Are you still there?"_

She realized she must have stayed frozen for a while. But Laura saying her name again felt like music in her ears, and that brought her back to earth. "Y-yes! I'm sorry, I... yeah. I'll be at the door in a second."

She almost ran to the door. But it felt like a million steps towards it. She wanted to be there as soon as she could but she was also scared to reach it. She was not ready for this. She didn't think her mind was functioning enough for her to have whatever conversation Laura wanted to have.

When she opened her door, there stood the most beautiful, wonderful, exquisite woman, in her life. And she was smiling. Like she's never smiled at her in a long time. But there was also off about her. "H-hi. May I come in?"

Yep. Laura was definitely drunk. "Laura? Are you okay? What—come in!"

Laura almost hit the door when she started walking. Fortunately, Taylor had pulled her before she could hurt herself. "I need to talk to you," she said, almost frantically.

"Okay, let's go sit at the couch. Come on." Taylor led her to the couch, holding her, afraid that she might stumble if she didn't. "What's going on? Are you drunk? Did you drive on your way here?" She suddenly panicked thinking of the terrible things that could've happened to Laura if she was crazy enough to drive in her condition. But Laura shook her head and Taylor felt relief wash through her.

They reached the couch and Laura faced her. She may have been drunk but there was something in the way she looked at her, something she had not seen in her eyes in a long time. And somehow, it made Taylor's heart race.

"What is it?" Taylor didn't know if Laura's mind was in the right state but she figured she could try and humor her for a bit. And frankly, she didn't know if she cared enough for anything that Laura wanted to say. She was just happy that she was here with her, and so close to her she could smell her scent. Despite what she had drank, she smelled good, and Taylor wanted to pull her to her and bury her face on her neck, and just take in her scent the whole night.

"I've been... wanting to talk to you..." Laura spoke, almost childlike, as if she was scared to say whatever she was supposed to say. And she was slurring her words that Taylor almost found it hard to understand her. Her eyes were also almost closed, but she looked as if she was resisting them to do so, so hard.

"Okay..." was the only thing that Taylor could say back. Her mind was still trying to wrap itself around what Laura might want to talk to her about.

"B-but I... I need to do something first..."

Before Taylor could even open her mouth to ask what it was, Laura's arms were wrapped around her. She was hugging her, tightly, and it felt good, so much better than good. She felt herself relax for the first time ever since Laura came in. She closed her eyes and wanted to stay in her arms forever. She hugged her back. And it was like being home after a really, really long trip.

The hug had taken away all her worries, all that was bothering her. The feeling of emptiness was suddenly gone, as if the void had already been filled, like a missing piece of the puzzle was found. Laura was that missing puzzle and she fit oh so perfectly. Taylor held on to her so tightly, not wanting to let go.

A minute had passed, or probably more and suddenly, Taylor noticed how Laura suddenly felt a lot heavier. "Laura?" No answer. "Laura?" Maybe she was thinking of how to say what she was gonna say. Or she felt the same way Taylor felt that she just wanted to envelope her in her arms a little bit longer.

But Laura was no longer moving and her arms weren't wrapped tightly around her anymore. They had loosen up. So Taylor decided to pay more attention to her breathing and noticed that it had suddenly become slow and steady.

So she pulled herself out of the hug and she couldn't help but chuckle at what she saw.

Laura had fallen asleep on her shoulders.

**A/N:**

**moanzs, **Thank you! Yeah, I just figured it had to be Peter since he's the one who knows what it feels like to lose Taylor and such. =) Thanks again, hope you like this chapter!

**sweetlikevanillais, ** Here it is! =)

**BethanyTaylorWilliams, **Thank you for letting me know! It's great to know that some people think I'm good at this. I'm glad you were happy with the last chapter, hope you're happy with this one as well. =)

**FFChik, **It's nice knowing you like where this story is heading. Thank you for another great review! =)

**Guest (who took that looooooong break), **Hi there! Glad to have been your 'entertainment' on your break. Haha. Thank you for your review! Unfortunately, I don't think there's going to be a sequel. I tried writing one but I stopped on the second chapter because I didn't know what to do with the story. Sorry! But I'm writing a new fic, and if ever I decide to post that one, hope you'd still be there to read it. Thanks again! =)

**Marijn, **Hi there! How do you feel about this chapter now? Haha. Oh, yeah you can always read it again if ever you miss it, lol. Awww, thank you! I'll send you lots of PMs don't worry. Haha. Love you back, girl! Tight hugs and lotsa kisses!

**Anas, **Wow, to label this fic as 'high-quality' is a little overwhelming and very humbling. Thank you very much! Yep, well we only have three chapters left before you find out, right? Haha. And thank you for reading Oblivion. Sorry if it broke your heart (even just a little, haha)

**Gabi, **I'm glad you loved the previous chapter! Hope you love this one, too! Love you back! Thanks, sweet thing! =)

**ariaskj, **Hey there, I missed you! I'm glad you're back! =) Thank you for that review and I'm glad you love how things have turned out. I'm gonna miss interacting with you, too, when this ends =( =)

**I3VauseMan, **Hi there! I see that you have confused Taylor and Laura with Piper and Alex now, haha. But that's okay I do that a lot, too. =)) Anyway, another great review! Thank you very much. Glad to know that Chapter 32 is now your favourite chapter. =) And you can call me Jen anyway, if you want haha. Yeah, right back at you! Hugs and kisses you wonderful and awesome person! =))

**jo michael, **Oooh, good luck with the working out thingy! I've never been good at that, I quit so easily haha. Oh no, I wouldn't want to break your heart. =( =)) And don't worry I'm gonna make sure we will stay in touch. And yeah! I'm already working on a new fan fic but I still am not sure whether I'll post it or ot. I'll let you know =))

**Ellen, **Hi there! Yeah, I wanted Peter to do the right thing this time and make up for what he did to Taylor before. Thank you for your review!

**stargatejumper10, **Haha well what do you think of this chapter? =))

Guys I'm so sorry for my replies right now. I feel a little sick today but I just had to post this chapter because I don't like to keep you waiting. Again, you people are wonderful. Group hug!


	34. Chapter 34 - When Blue Meets Green

**Chapter 34 – When Blue Meets Green**

Taylor held Laura's body and kept her head from falling to her side as she laid her down on her couch. She was still chuckling as she went inside her room to get some pillows and blanket for Laura. As much as she didn't want her to sleep on her couch, she had a much thinner frame than Laura and she couldn't possibly carry her to her room. She also didn't want to wake her up just to get her to go back to sleep again. It always annoyed her when someone did that to her.

When she was convinced that Laura was already comfortable, she took her time to look at how adorable she looked. She looked so peaceful, with her lips pulled up very slightly in what looked like a smile and her steady breathing. She sat at the space left on Laura's side and caressed her face. It had been so long since she'd last touched her this way and it made her realize just how much she missed her. And her heart longed that Laura also felt the same.

She was having the urge to wrap her arms around Laura, she wanted to feel her body so close to hers again. Then she suddenly felt hotness surge towards her just thinking of what it felt like to have their bodies passionately pressed against each other. She inhaled deeply knowing it might never happen again. And as painful as it was, she pushed that thought deep, deep, _way deep _in her mind, hoping it would stay there and not bug her again for the rest of the night.

Averting her thoughts to something else, she wondered what Laura was doing at her place... what she wanted to tell her. She wanted to know but that could wait. Right now, she was contented just staring at her for a while.

-o-o-o-

Laura opened her eyes but immediately shut them off as she was blinded by the sunlight streaming through the windows. She kept her eyes closed and let her head wrap around her dream last night. She dreamt that she went to Taylor's and told her everything she wanted to tell her. She tried remembering how Taylor reacted in her dream, but she couldn't. She breathed deeply hoping it was good, and that it would be the same thing for real.

"So, are you already up, or that deep sigh is just part of a dream or something?"

The familiar voice made Laura sat up abruptly, and she regretted it the minute she did because she felt like all her blood rushed to her head and she felt her world spin. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply to settle herself first before opening them up to finally allow herself to be aware of what _really _was going on.

She then realized that she was at a couch, and it was not her own. She knew the woman who spoke was just at her side but she still took her time to face her. She knew Taylor's voice like the back of her hand. When she finally looked at her, the blonde had that teasing smirk, with her right eyebrow raised, and she was looking at her as if waiting for her to explain something. "Holy fuck."

Taylor chuckled, still not moving from where she was. "Is that how people greet each other in the morning now? Well then, holy fuck to you, too." She started walking towards her kitchen. "Come on, breakfast's ready. I've been waiting for you to wake up for half an hour, I'm starving."

"Wait!"

Taylor stopped and looked back at her. "What?"

"Wh-what am I doing here?"

"You don't remember?" Taylor walked back to where she stood a while ago again. Laura opened her mouth to say something but immediately shut it and just looked at her. "You called me last night and told me you were at my door. You told me you wanted to tell me something. So I went to see you. And you were drunk." Taylor again chuckled at the thought last night. She still couldn't believe Laura had fallen asleep while they were talking.

"I remember those." She felt herself tense at the thought of why she really was here in the first place. But she immediately took her mind off that as soon as it entered it because she still couldn't remember what happened afterwards. She knew she shouldn't have drunk that much but her nerves got the best of her. "But not what happened afterwards."

Taylor was smiling so widely she knew Laura could see all her teeth. "You don't remember that? But that's the fun part!"

"What are you talking about?" her forehead creased at the look of amusement on Taylor's face.

"Well, we were talking... we started, at least... then you fell asleep." Taylor bit the side of her cheek to keep herself from laughing.

"I did not." She looked at Taylor as if she lost her mind. "You're just fucking with me."

"Do I look like I'm just fucking with you?"

"Yes!"

Taylor's chuckle got even louder at this. "Okay... this," Taylor pointed at her face, "...is not the face of someone who's fucking with you. This is the face of someone who's very amused by the sudden turn of events last night."

"Yeah, I can see that." Laura suddenly buried her face on the pillow she was holding. She felt so embarrassed she wanted to pop out of existence right at that moment. "I'm sorry," she said, muffled by the pillow against her face. She removed the pillow and tried to look at Taylor, who was still smirking. "I didn't-" she realized she was out of words. Thankfully, Taylor just shrugged.

"Don't worry about it." She started walking away again. "Now come on, let's go have breakfast before you sleep on me again."

Laura sighed, knowing this would go on for a bit. "Stop it! I'm already embarrassed enough!" She heard Taylor's laugh and it warmed her heart to hear that laugh again.

"Sorry. I'll stop now. Seriously, get your ass in here. The food's getting cold."

Laura stood up, a smile already forming on her lips. That was the first time since she woke up that she took in how Taylor looked. She was wearing a white tank top that hugged the curves of her body and black shorts that reached just below her ass. Her hair was a bit messy and some were sticking out on her face and damn, she looked sexy as hell. She thought of how much she had missed waking up to Taylor's. Then she realized that she just did. She was suddenly feeling a lot better.

"So," Taylor spoke. "Do you want a drink or something? I think you might need that to be able to eat with me today."

And just like that, the teasing was back.

"Fuck you!" Laura chuckled, nudging Taylor lightly on her right shoulder.

Laura didn't usually cuss except when she's really mad or really ecstatic. And when she did, Taylor found her surprisingly cute, that's when the cussing was out of happiness. And at that moment, Taylor loved it. And she loved it even more because of the smile that came with it. Because she knew there and then that it was back.

The inevitable connection was back.

-o-o-o-

They ate almost in silence the whole time. They'd only speak when they would remember something they thought would be worth asking, nothing personal though. But surprisingly for both, they were very comfortable just eating together. It was the comfortable silence that they always loved when they were together, something they thought they'd never have again.

When they started eating, Laura was wrapped in a bundle of nerves, expecting Taylor to ask about last night. She knew she had to talk about it soon enough but she didn't feel like this was the right time for that. Thankfully, Taylor didn't ask about it, and after accepting that she wasn't anytime soon, Laura began to relax, and just enjoyed the moment. It had been a long time since they'd last eaten together, just the two of them, and it was all that mattered right now.

Taylor, on the other hand, couldn't wait to know what last night was about but she didn't want to be the one to bring up that conversation, so she waited for Laura. But almost half an hour had passed and she had yet to talk about it, so Taylor figured that she probably didn't want to talk about it at that time. Or maybe she again needed a drink, or a lot more, before she could talk about it. Thinking about that, Taylor let out a soft chuckle, causing Laura to raise an eyebrow at her wondering why she had chuckled out of nowhere. Taylor just shrugged and Laura shook her head at her, a smile forming on her lips, then they started eating again. It was the best breakfast Taylor had in a long time.

-o-o-o-

After breakfast, they both settled on Taylor's couch and started checking their phones at the same time, in silence. They were seated close together, but not close enough, both their legs folded under them on the couch, with their shoulders and arms almost brushing against each other.

Taylor considered waiting for Laura to finally talk about last night but she just couldn't wait any longer so she put her phone down and shifted her body to her side so she was now looking at Laura, _staring _even_. _The dark-haired woman was still checking her phone, smiling every now and then, and Taylor knew she had no idea she was staring at her. They were probably just inches apart and Taylor almost sighed at how good Laura smelled. She found herself studying her face and she suddenly had the urge to crash her lips against hers.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's not good to stare? I feel like you're boring a hole into my soul," said Laura, still looking at her phone, with a smirk etched on her lips.

This put Taylor out of her trance. "What?" She said, as she looked away and went back to fake-checking her phone. But just a few seconds later, she was back to looking at her again. She almost shook her head at not being able to put her gaze away from Laura even just for a second.

Finally, Laura looked back at her, and smiled so widely, Taylor felt her heart race. "Nothing." For a while, both of them just stared at each other, studying each other's features, wanting to memorize each of those, as if they'd forgotten how each other looked after so many months of almost ignoring each other.

Laura didn't want to make herself hope, but she was looking into Taylor's eyes and she could not fail to notice that she was looking at her like the way she looked at her before, when everything was still perfect, when there was nothing else but their love for each other. It was the same way she was looking at the blonde now and she again hoped that Taylor could see that, too.

At that moment, Laura didn't want anything but tell Taylor how she felt. She wanted to let her know how much she missed her, how much her life did not make sense without her in it, and how utterly and crazily in love she still was with her. But she felt like if she did, she was gonna ruin the moment. There they were, two people who had gone through so much crap, as far as their relationship was concerned, and staring at each other as if nothing had ever happened.

And for the mean time, that was enough.

"So..." Taylor said almost like a whisper, breaking the silence between them "...are we just gonna stay here as if in a staring contest, or are you finally gonna tell me what you were planning to tell me last night?" She noticed how their faces and bodies had been closer than they were just a few moments ago, and she had no plans on breaking her eye contact with the beautiful raven-haired in front of her.

Laura felt her heart beat a hell lot faster when Taylor bit her lower lip. She stared at her lips longer than she should have but she couldn't help herself. She swallowed a bit, and forced her eyes to go back to Taylor's own ocean blue orbs. She wondered if Taylor did that on purpose to see if it still had the same effect on her as before. "Why don't we just stay like this for a while and we can talk about that later?"

Laura had said those words in an almost-whisper, and Taylor felt heat surge through her just by hearing Laura's voice. Back then, she had always melted whenever Laura spoke in that sexy, raspy voice of hers, as if every word was made to pull her in a world where she and Laura were the only ones who existed. And she wasn't surprised to realize that it still had the same effect on her. Her voice was pure sex and she had to fight every ounce of her body to keep herself from moaning at that sound.

"Okay," was the only thing that she could manage to blurt out, because if she said more, Laura would notice the shakiness in her voice, the effect of Laura being so close to her at that moment.

"Okay," said Laura, her grin as sweet as it could get. So sweet, and yet so sexy.

They still had not kept their eyes off each other, and they didn't want to. They found comfort just by staring at each other, so close almost breathing the same air, almost hearing each other's heartbeats. Without knowing that the other was thinking the same thing, they knew they didn't need to rush anything. They were where they were supposed to be, and they could go to wherever they should be on the right time.

Because right now, there was no doubt that time was with them.

**A/N:**

Hi, people! Thank you for the well wishes, I'm feeling a whole lot better now. =) And also, thanks to all of you because this fic has reached more than 50k views and I feel really ecstatic. I didn't know it was gonna be received so well so thank you from the very bottom of my heart. Lol.

Side note: I already posted my new fic, it's called **SHATTERED**. If you'd like to read it and leave a review, it would really mean a lot to me! Special thanks to **Marijn, moanzs, **and **FFChik **for already leaving your reviews. Will thank you again on Shattered Chapter 2 =)

**moanzs, **Ooooh, maybe being 'drunk' made the chapter so much better. Lol. I wonder how you would've reacted to it otherwise, haha. Thank you for the review and yeah last two chapters wuhoo!

**Ellen0000, **I'm glad you liked that last part, lol. Will put your suggestion in mind, thanks! And I'm okay now thanks to you, people. Hugs and kisses!

**lily, **I believe you have yes, thank you haha. Uhm, what did you mean by more? A sequel? Or just another fan fiction? Coz I don't think I have it in me to write a sequel. But I have written and posted a new fanfic, so maybe you could give that one a try? Oh yeah! I would've added more smut to add a lil spice though but I'm really not comfortable writing them, haha. Again, thank you!

**g4gusgrisam, **Thank you! I'm happy you loved it =)

**sweetlikevanillais, **Me neither =( But it has to! Maybe you should try my new fanfic? Lol. Thank you!

**luuuuandrade, **Duuuuuuuuude, here's your new chapter! Hope you like it! =))

**FFChik, **Haha yeah. I couldn't help myself. Lol. =)

**ariaskj, **We can always exchange PMs if you want! And I have a new story, if you decide to throw in a little review every now and then we could still talk. I would love that! =) Haha, sorry for that. Here's the continuation, hope you like this haha.

**Marijn, **Haha yeah, you know how much I love cliffhangers! Sorry for that. I think that's gonna be my last cliffhanger though. =) Yeah me too! But omg we only have a few days left, I'm really really close to my death (Vauseman) lol. Thanks again for the review for Shattered =))

**jo michael, **Hi dude! Yeah, I already posted it, if you'd have time to read lol. No, **you **are the best! Haha, I'm glad you loved the previous chapter, thank you for another review! =)

**abbiewhale123, **Hi there! New reviewer, I believe? Here's the new chapter, thank you for waiting! =)

**Gabi, **Please don't die haha. Here's your new chapter =)Love you back! Hugs and kisses, girl! =)

**I3VauseMan, **Awww thank you for all of that, I feel so much better now! =) Oh no, don't feel that way, we all have our days. I've mistaken Taylor and Laura for Piper and Alex, too. A lot of times, while writing this fic lol. If I didn't have time to edit it, I would've posted it that way haha. Thank you again, lots of hugs and kisses back at ya!

**tash, **Hi you're back! Hello and have a great day (and time reading) haha.


	35. Chapter 35 - Lost Chance

**Chapter 35 – Lost Chance**

"So..." Laura and Taylor were at the latter's doorway, about to say goodbye. "I better get going."

"Yeah," answered Taylor, every part of her body wanting to ask Laura not to leave and to just spend the rest of the day with her, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. This day had been way too good for her to grab the chance of ruining it.

"I'll see you at work later?" asked Laura, not removing her gaze from Taylor's face.

"See you," Taylor smiled. She watched Laura come closer to her and waited for what she was about to do. When her face was only inches from her, she felt her eyes close out of habit, and then she felt Laura's lips just at the side of her own. Before she could stop herself, she sighed, smiling at the short but sweet contact. She'd been longing for this kind of contact in a really long time which made it enough for her, for _now._

Laura smiled back and started stepping into her car. But Taylor was okay. Because this time, she knew Laura really wasn't _walking away _from her. This was her coming back. Laura was coming back to her. With that thought, she went back inside her place with the biggest smile in the world.

-o-o-o-

Eleven days.

Eleven long days ever since Taylor and Laura had that talk. Eleven excruciating days of waiting for something to happen that now seemed to be just a product of her imagination, of her being hopeful for something that was never possible anymore. Eleven days it took for her to have her hopes up, only to get crushed again by the same person who had made her hope in the first place.

It had been eleven days ever since that night, when she thought her connection with Laura was back, when she thought that it never really went away. Eleven days since she woke up with a new-found hope that maybe, there was still a chance for her and Laura. She greeted that day with lightness filling her, thinking it was the day that she was gonna get her back, that she was going to be complete again.

But it had been eleven days, and Laura had not said a word to her. She saw her at work later that day but Laura acted as if nothing happened, like it was some normal day that didn't need any more attention than it already got, and Taylor had been okay with that. She figured that it was still too soon to talk about anything else. The moment they shared earlier that day still lingered and she had hoped for it to stay with her as long as it could and maybe Laura thought that, too.

And then came the next day, and then the next, and then the next and Laura still kept quiet. She had not sent her a single message or hadn't rung her phone. They would see each other at work, but she would barely say a word to her unless they needed to shoot a scene together. She would even barely look at her, it hurt.

It was a mistake to think that they would still work out. It was a mistake to think that there was still a 'them' in the first place. Their relationship had been such a merry-go-round for so long now and it was stupid for her to think that she would never get tired of it. Because right now, she was too exhausted to even think of anything anymore. And so on that fucking eleventh day, that's when Taylor decided that it was all just too much for her heart to take.

So after work, she decided to do what she thought was left for her to do. She went to a private bar, somewhere she knew she wouldn't be bothered and let all the alcohol she could consume that night take away all that she was feeling. She wanted the pain to go away and she yearned for the last eighteen months of her life to be magically gone as she drowned herself in all the drinks she managed to gulp down that time.

And then after what felt like an eternity, she suddenly started feeling numb. She wasn't feeling anything else anymore except the horrible feeling of wanting to throw up everything inside of her but couldn't because she didn't actually have anything inside to throw up. She hadn't eaten the whole day and it was what was killing her right now. But she was thankful for that, because it was all she could allow herself to feel. She also couldn't feel her legs, which was why she fell on her first attempt to stand. She tried again but her legs couldn't support her weight even though she felt lighter than she ever felt her entire life. So she gave up, and just let her body fall on the soft cushion under her.

But after a short while, she felt warmth on her face. She tried opening her eyes but all she could see was a total blur. Someone was speaking to her, she was certain of that but she couldn't make out who it was and it made her head spin even more.

"Who are you?" she attempted to say without slurring the words, to no avail. "Get out of here, I just want to sleep."

The other again said something, inaudible to Taylor's ear and suddenly she felt her body getting hoisted as an arm wrapped around her body. She felt herself move without actually moving her legs. She tried to resist it but she felt too weak and so she just let whoever was holding her drag her away from her solitary place for the last two hours, before succumbing to the darkness that had been pulling her for quite some time now.

-o-o-o-

"Hello?" answered Laura, irritated at whoever was calling at this ungodly hour. She looked at the clock beside her and it read 2:17AM.

"Hi, Laura?"

It was a familiar voice of a male but Laura didn't bother thinking whoever it was, still annoyed at the interruption of her sleep.

"I'm sorry, I knew I woke you but I didn't know who else to call. It's Taylor."

That's when Laura felt every inch of her come to life. She then realized who had called her. It was Bryan, the owner of the private bar she and Taylor always went to whenever they felt like being away from everyone they knew and just bask in on the presence of each other.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" she nervously asked as she sat up.

"I don't think so. You have to come down here, now."

-o-o-o-

Laura reached the bar in less than twenty minutes. She immediately went to her and Taylor's usual spot but she wasn't there. Bryan had then appeared and led her to a different VIP lounge and that's where she found Taylor slumped down on the couch, with her head lulled to her side. She had never seen her this drunk her entire life and she felt her heart race in a not so good way.

She rushed towards her and cupped her face with both hands, trying to wake her. "Taylor..." she whispered, knowing she wouldn't wake up through that, "Tay, wake up, we gotta get you home."

"Who are you?" said Taylor, in an unrecognizable voice. She tried opening her eyes. "Get out of here, I just want to sleep."

"It's Laura, honey. Come on, you have to help me get you up."

She then pulled Taylor up as she wrapped her arm around her. Bryan made an attempt to help them but she shook her head, telling him she could do it. So with all her strength, she almost dragged Taylor out of the bar and brought her to her car.

At first she thought of bringing her to her own home, but then decided against it and brought Taylor to her place. While driving, she called Sam and asked him if he could look after Taylor tonight because she couldn't. A few minutes later, she was laying her down to Taylor's own bed.

When she was about to go to her bathroom to take some damp cloth, she felt Taylor stir as she grabbed her arm. "Hey..." she stopped to face her and found her with her eyes open, looking at her.

"Laura?" Taylor asked, half-conscious, trying to keep her eyes open as she looked at Laura.

"Yes baby, it's me." She hadn't even noticed how she had called her anymore. She was just so upset seeing Taylor this way that she couldn't think clearly anymore. "I just have to get something, okay? Just close your eyes, and get some sleep." She inched her face closer to Taylor's as she kissed her on her head. She was about to start walking when Taylor spoke again.

"Don't leave," she still had her eyes closed. "Please. Please stay. I love you so much. Please don't leave me again." With that, she closed her eyes as her grip on Laura loosened up.

-o-o-o-

If someone had told Laura Prepon ten years ago that she would one day be utterly and completely in-love with a woman, to the point of being consumed by that love, she would probably laugh at that person's face. It wasn't so much because of the 'woman' part, but it's the part where she would allow herself to be consumed by something that could be possibly make her self-destruct at some point in her life if she wouldn't handle it the right way. She never let that happen. She was always careful, always taking care of herself, not giving anything or anyone the power to completely hurt her.

But here she was, out on her porch, smoking what seemed to be her fourth cigarette in less than 30 minutes, thinking of the only person she had ever allowed herself to love more than she could ever handle it. She left Taylor's place the minute her brother came and as much as she hated to leave her on that state, she knew she couldn't face her in the morning when the weight of the past days was still on her shoulders. So, she asked Sam not to tell Taylor that she was the one who had brought her home and when he asked why, she just sadly shook her head and slowly helped herself out of the house.

When she first met Taylor, she knew there was something special about her. But never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought of her as someone who would one day make every pain she had ever felt for the last 34 years of her life, combined, seem like a child's play as compared to how she was feeling at this exact moment.

When she had spoken those words to her, when she asked, _begged_, for her to stay and not to leave her again, every wall she had surrounded herself with came crashing down at her. Ever since she had broken up with her, she had never allowed herself to think of the impact it had on Taylor. She knew she caused her pain but she never really thought of how much it had, of the intensity of that pain, because she knew that if she did, she would never be able to forgive herself for it.

And then the fact that Taylor had been able to move on, or so she thought, helped a lot, because then she could tell herself that she had not hurt her enough to fully destroy her. That she was okay, and that she could finally forgive herself for it. And so she had not prepared herself for what was about to happen when Taylor said those words to her, with so much pain in her voice. Because what she did all those months ago had not only ruined Taylor, it had broken her, too.

Eleven days ago, she was ready to give them another try. She was ready to tell her how much she loved her and how much she wanted to give them the chance of forever. But maybe the whole universe was conspiring against them or maybe the thought of them was just really so fucked up all that could ever happen to and for them was one fucked up thing after another. Because the moment she reached her home, what was waiting for her, or rather, _who_ was waiting for her was the last person she ever thought she'd see.

So, even if she didn't want to recall that particular day anymore, she couldn't stop her mind when it wandered back.

_Laura was so sure that this was gonna be the best day of her life in a really long time. She even found herself almost skipping to her door, when she saw a familiar figure standing just outside her house. She came to a halt, unsure if she should approach him or wait for him to come to her. Maybe he sensed her hesitation so he slowly walked towards her._

_For a moment, he just stood there in front of her, as if trying to take in everything he could about her just by staring. When she couldn't stand the silence anymore, she spoke. "Yes?"_

_The first time she heard about Finn was when she was watching an entertainment news, something she rarely did in her spare time. It was just a rumor back then, about him and Taylor being an item, and as much as she should've hated for it to be true, she actually hoped that it was. She wanted Taylor to be happy and if that guy was gonna be the key to that, she wouldn't have anything against it._

_Then, the rumor was confirmed, not by Taylor, but by someone close to them both and she made true to her promise to herself that she was going to be happy for them. But then she found out about the guy's feelings towards her and she suddenly resented him, like he didn't deserve Taylor at all. If he wasn't going to be okay with some of her friends, he shouldn't be with her, she thought. But then again, she also wondered if that was really the reason or was it really because she realized that she was actually still in love with her?_

_Now that he was in front of her, she tried to assess what she now felt towards him, now that he's not with Taylor anymore. But she couldn't come up with anything so she waited for him to say something to her, to tell her why he was there, even if she knew that it was gonna be about a certain blonde she just parted ways with a while ago._

"_Stay away from her," he said, with venom in his voice._

(to be continued...)

**A/N:**

I hate to leave it here but I had to. Please don't kill me. Lol. I know this chapter is a bit angsty but I actually kind of like it. :)) So what do you think? Will Laylor be endgame? You'll find out next chapter! And btw, it will be way longer than usual, so there's that.

**sara lance, **Awww, thank you for saying this is the **best **when there are really great Laylor fanfics out there. *happy tears* Yes, it has to end at some point though. I'm sad, too, btw. But again, thank you!

**moanzs, **Thank you for love for Shattered! =) And yeah, just one more chapter. Thank you for that review. =)

**tash, **hiodhdaldjha you are so cute *blushes*

**Marijn, **I hope I didn't crush you with this chapter. Lol. The next chapter will be the last, sad to say. And please don't let this fanfic be the end of you, lol. There's always Shattered for that haha.

**Marjolein, **I'm glad you liked the previous chapter! And thank you for reading Shattered =)

**Anas, **And your review made my day. Thank you!

**I3Vauseman, **Wow, I am 'Your Awesomeness'? Lol I don't think so, that's you! Thank you for that review. And I'm sorry if this chapter is very anti-climactic. And sorry, too, that this time, I really left you with a cliffhanger. Please don't hate me. Hahaha. Love lots, girl!

**FFChik, '**The Talk' may not be happening anytime soon. Lol jk! Find out next chapter. Haha. Thank you!

**Ellen0000, **Yeah, people outside the fandom really don't understand us that much, do they? Lol. But thank you! I'm glad I was able to bring you to those kinds of emotions =) I wonder what this chapter made you feel. Haha.

**jo michael, **Thank you for checking Shattered out! And for leaving a couple of reviews. Summer is almost over for me. I go back to school in a little more than a week and I'm really bummed. I don't wanna go back yet. Lol. How about you? =)

**pautassium, **Oh hi new reader! Welcome! Lol. Sorry, I'm being weird. Anyway, thank you for leaving a review and I'm really happy that you like my story. You are wonderful, and here's your update. (sorry btw that you didn't get any mushy laylor on this chapter =( )


	36. Chapter 36 - How Long Will I Love You

**A/N:**

Bad news: This is the last chapter.

Good news: It actually isn't because I'm posting an epilogue after this. Yey!

I don't know if you'd be happy with the way I decided to end things, but please let me know. Positive and negative. So... read away! =) (Warning: This chapter is waaay too long)

**Chapter 36 – How Long Will I Love You**

_"Stay away from her," he said, with venom in his voice._

_That's when Laura realized that she really didn't like him. At all. "That's not your choice to make." She started walking away from him but he grabbed her arm so tightly it hurt. "Let go of me," she said with the same hatred in her voice._

_He let go of her arm but not before he could pull her to face him. "You don't deserve her."_

_Laura smirked, "And you do?"_

_"I know I deserve her more than you do. I have never hurt her the whole time we were together. I cared for her, gave her everything she wanted, needed. I showed her how she should be loved. I became the man she deserved, someone not even close to the partner you were when you were with her."_

_"She loves me more than she had ever loved you."_

_"Yes. But she loved you more than she should have. And I love her more than you ever did."_

_"You seem pretty confident about that, big guy." This time she walked away before she could reach her the second time. She decided she wouldn't let him ruin her day. But she stopped in her tracks when he spoke again._

_"Then tell me why you left her. If you really loved her as much as you're trying to imply, why would you leave her? Oh I know. Because you were such a selfish bitch who would rather hurt her than have yourself be hurt. You chose your own safety over her happiness. You decided to leave when things got tough because you didn't love her enough to stay for her. Now tell me how much you really deserve her more than any other person in this world?"_

She didn't let him say anything else after those words. Because at that time, everything he had said was enough and she had already accepted that he was right. It was actually funny how someone she should've hated made her crumble just through his little speech. She shouldn't have believed him. He probably hated her so much to have said those things and she shouldn't have let him affect her in any way. But his words had stung because she knew that they were all true. She knew she loved Taylor before but she still hurt her. Who could say she wouldn't do it again this time?

So even if it killed her, she went to work that day and tried to forget everything she had planned to do. She ignored every loss of breath she felt whenever she was around Taylor and had to act like nothing happened. She let every pain in her chest eat the life away from her whenever she would remember what she had talked about with Pete, about how she was gonna spend each day for the rest of her life without the woman she loved more than anyone else in the world.

And then each of those days led to this moment, to the now where she had to make a decision, something she would and should never change again, something she should never run away from again. It made her feel exhausted just thinking about it.

And she just didn't know what to do anymore.

-o-o-o-

Taylor did not wake up until almost 12 hours later. When she did, she cursed herself for her little stunt last night of trying to drown all her sorrows away. She knew it was pure bullshit and it wouldn't take anything away and she still did it anyway. Now she was paying for it.

She could not count the number of times she had woken up with a raging hangover but this one was probably going to take the trophy for worst hangover ever because she couldn't even breathe without feeling like her brains was gonna explode out of her head. She cursed herself again when she attempted to get out of bed to get some aspirin to help her with her headache.

But angels were probably with her today as her door opened and in came her brother with a glass of water on one hand and what seemed like aspirin on his other hand. "Sam?"

"Oh, right on time! Do you need anything?" he mockingly asked, knowing full well what his sister needed at that moment.

"Yes, please. I need someone to get my head off of me, right fucking now." She took one pillow and put it all over her head which made the wobbling feeling even worse. "Fuck!" She threw the pillow away. "Nope! Shouldn't have done that." Her brother just laughed at her as he handed her the water and aspirin. She immediately drank them as soon as she could. "Thank you. How did you know where I was last night?" She assumed he was the one who took her home, because who else would? When she saw the hesitance in her brother's eyes, she asked him, "_You_ brought me home, right?"

Sam considered telling Taylor the truth about Laura bringing her home but then he thought maybe they had issues they needed to settle and Taylor knowing the truth may hinder that so he lied instead. "Yes, of course I did. Bryan called me and told me how wasted you were so even though I was sleepy as fuck I chose to become your knight in shining armor and saved your damn ass."

Taylor tried to smile even though doing that simple thing took too much of her energy. "Thanks bro. I knew I can count on you."

"What happened anyway? Why did you decide to try to kill yourself with this hangover?" he asked, hoping he could know what was going on. He wasn't usually nosy. If there was anything going on with his sister, he would always let her be because he knew it wasn't any of his damn business and she could take care of herself. But seeing Taylor last night, he knew that this was something else. Taylor needed him now.

When Taylor remembered why she was going through this hangover in the first place, she felt her head hurt even more. She really wanted to tell her brother about this. Maybe if she did, she would feel a lot better. But she didn't know how to start and she wasn't sure if he would understand anyway. So instead, she just shrugged and acted like it wasn't a big deal. "I was just too tired at work I decided to chill for a while. I didn't realize I was drinking more than I could handle."

He knew of course that she was lying. But knowing Taylor, she wouldn't tell the truth even if he tried to ask her directly. "Okay. But next time, if you decide to chill on your own again, don't hesitate to ask me to join you, okay?" Taylor just nodded. "You know I'm always here for you, right?"

"Of course. Thank you," she smiled. And this time, it was a genuine one.

-o-o-o-

Taylor was ready to call it a night but she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was going on that she didn't know about. The crew and some of the cast were giving her funny looks, some would even whisper to each other if they thought she wasn't looking or something. It was making her crazy because she knew something was up but no one cared enough to let her join in on the fun.

She gave up wanting to know what everything was about and started walking towards her car when she realized something that might just completely ruin her night for good. "Fuck." She had suddenly remembered that her brother, Sam, had actually borrowed her car today, saying he would just pick her up when she was about to go home. So she took out her phone and started calling him, but three missed calls later and he still hadn't picked up.

Taylor was starting to get really pissed when a familiar car stopped right in front of her. "Laura?" she asked herself. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost twelve midnight. There was no way Laura was there for work.

Laura went out of her car, with a grin, almost shy. "Hey."

Taylor could not stop the loud thumping inside her chest. It was two days ago since she had decided to drink all her pain away and she had convinced herself that she wasn't gonna be affected by Laura's presence anymore but maybe she wasn't ready for that just yet. "H-hi. What are you doing here? Were you called for work?" She had suddenly forgotten that she was supposed to be pissed at her brother right now. Even though she was silently scolding herself for the anxiety she was feeling just by being around her ex-girlfriend, she still couldn't help but feel glad that she'd seen her again.

"No," answered Laura, still behind her car door.

Laura was smiling but Taylor could see that she seemed a bit tensed. She waited for her to say why she was there but she realized she wasn't gonna say anything else. "So... why are you here then? It's late."

"Nothing, just passing by," Laura answered, without elaborating any further. "Are you about to go home?"

That's when Taylor remembered why she was still there, and her mood had immediately gone back to how it was just moments ago. "That's if I can reach my ass of a brother. He borrowed my car today and he was supposed to pick me up but he's not answering any of my calls."

"Oh," said Laura as she nodded her head in understanding. She looked at Taylor, as if calculating what she was supposed to say next. "Come on, I'll bring you home." She could see the hesitance in Taylor's eyes so she silently prayed that she'd say yes. Not like she was gonna take no as an answer anyway. "Tay, it's almost midnight. I'm not gonna let you take a cab at this hour."

Every bit of Taylor wanted her to decline Laura's offer but she didn't know why she just couldn't bring herself to do so. _"Fuck it,"_ she thought. She didn't want to take a cab anyway. It was then that Taylor smiled. "All right. Take me home."

Laura almost sighed out of relief as she waited for Taylor to get inside her car. She followed suit and soon enough, she was driving away from their set.

During the car ride, both were quiet, not knowing what to say. Taylor was waiting for Laura to say something first but she stayed mum the whole time so she just decided to do the same thing. She looked at her watch and wished for time to go faster so she could be home and away from this awkward situation. She tried to just focus on the outside and look at the view, even if there really was nothing new to see. Few more minutes had passed when she noticed that Laura was taking a different route.

"L-laura?"

"Yeah?" answered Laura without looking at her.

"Why are we taking this route?" She was sure her usual way was the fastest way she could reach home so she couldn't think of any reason why Laura was taking this one instead.

"Uh, there's just something I need to pick up first, if it's okay?" Laura looked at her briefly before looking back at the road.

_"Well that explains it,"_ Taylor again thought to herself. But instead of voicing her thoughts out, she just said, "Okay."

Few more minutes of driving and Taylor was pretty sure she had been this way before. She could never go wrong. She looked at Laura, wanting to ask why they were driving this way but was too afraid to confirm her thoughts so she kept quiet. _"Maybe, she knows someone in this area,"_ she tried to convince herself, knowing full well that Laura didn't know anyone here.

Deep in thought, she hadn't realized the car had already stopped until Laura spoke. "Taylor?"

She had no time to look outside as she saw Laura got out of her car. She did, too. When she was outside, the loud thumping inside her chest had started again. She looked at the abandoned-looking building in front of her, the only place that saw her in her most vulnerable times, and in her happiest ones. This was the place where she took Laura on their first date... this was where they would go to whenever they were having a bad day... this was the place she never thought she'd ever share with anyone until Laura came into her life.

She had not been back in this place ever since she and Laura broke up. It just held too many memories of theirs that she knew coming back also meant relieving all those memories and feeling the pain of not being able to make new ones again.

Her thoughts were snapped when she felt Laura come closer to her. "H-hey," she said with a slight shake in her voice.

"What are we doing here?" Taylor said, almost wanting to run away.

"I know that you're tired and you probably just want to lie down and get your sleep. But I just really need to show you something. Please?" Laura was almost pleading, and if she had to kneel in front of Taylor to convince her to stay, she knew there was a fat chance she would. She didn't know if she had planned this enough, even convincing Sam to take away his sister's car so she could drive her tonight. She just knew it had to work.

Taylor was still hesitating, but looking at Laura's eyes, and listen to her almost whisper, afraid of what she would say, she knew she could never resist her. "Okay."

So they slowly walked towards the building, with safe distance between them. Laura felt herself shake, not because it was cold but because she knew that this was it. This was gonna be a turning point in her life and if she fucked this one up, she was fucked for good.

They got into the elevator and Taylor waited for Laura to press the button that would take them to wherever they were going. She knew that Laura was looking at her but she didn't dare look back, as she was scared of what her face would give away if she did. So she decided to just stare at her feet, like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

She could not slow down the beating of her heart. She didn't know what she was gonna see and she was scared to know what it was. But at the same time, she also wanted to just be done with this and she was hoping that staring down was gonna make the time go faster. It felt like a million seconds later when she finally heard the "Ding!" from the elevator as the doors opened and suddenly, she was faced with a view that almost took her breath away.

It almost looked the same at it did during their first date, only this time, there were petals of red and white roses scattered all over the floor. There was also a table at the middle but instead of just wine, there was food that she was sure Laura prepared herself. The whole place was illuminated with lights and she couldn't remember seeing the place more beautiful than it was tonight.

She moved out of the elevator and tried to take in the sight. She almost teared up right there and then but fought it because it seemed pathetic to do so at the time. She looked at Laura and she looked nervous, as if waiting for her to say something. "Laura..." she said, almost in a whisper, loud enough for Laura to hear, "did you do all this?"

Laura smiled shyly, feeling her courage ebb away every second that she stood there. "Y-yeah. I know that none of this can ever make up for everything that has happened ever since... ever since we broke up-"

Taylor cut her off, shaking her head. "It's beautiful," she said, breaking out into a huge grin for the first time ever since they got here.

Laura came towards her slowly, afraid that if she walked any faster, Taylor would decide to run away from her. When she was close enough, she breathed deeply, hoping that it would help her gather some more confidence to do what she was about to do. She then cocked her head towards the table. "Wanna eat? I know it's too late for dinner and too early for breakfast but..." She let her word hang as she waited for Taylor to answer her.

"Sure," Taylor shrugged. She saw Laura broke into a smile and when the raven-haired started walking towards the table, Taylor had allowed herself to smile, too.

They both sat in silence as they started eating. As usual, Taylor couldn't help but praise Laura's cooking. All throughout their meal, they engaged themselves in small talks as if nothing heavy was hanging on their shoulders. They steered away from anything serious and for a while, everything seemed perfect. When they were almost finished, there was suddenly music on the background and Taylor had to look around to find out where it was coming from. Norah Jones' Come Away With Me was then playing. She looked at Laura but she just shrugged and smiled.

Taylor raised one of her eyebrows as she smiled back at Laura. She then stood up to Laura's surprise. She came to her and then held out her hand for Laura to grab.

"What are you doing?" asked Laura, confused.

"Asking you for a dance."

Laura's smile got even wider as she held Taylor's hand. They walked towards the side of the table. When they were facing each other, Taylor clung her hands around Laura's neck as the latter put hers on Taylor's hips. Together, they slowly swayed to the music, as they stared in each other's eyes. Suddenly, there was no one in this world but them. They were instantly in a place without any worries, without any problems, and with just the fact that they were two people who truly cared for each other no matter what the world would throw against them. It was like the time had stopped and nothing could ever destroy the little bubble they had created around them. Without realizing it, they had closed the gap between them, breathing the same air, with their foreheads pressed together.

Taylor knew that this was gonna stop eventually, that they had to face reality and talk about them but right now, all she wanted was to feel Laura's body closer to hers. She always felt safer around her, like not even the worst problem would matter whenever she was around. She pulled away but only to stare back at Laura. She looked into her lush green eyes and she felt her heart race faster because she was amazingly beautiful, excruciatingly so.

But she felt so confused. She wanted to let go but she also wanted stay. She wanted to push her away but at the same time pull her even closer. She should probably be mad because it felt like Laura was leading her on again. She was also supposed to be scared that Laura would again change her mind and start acting as if this was, _again_, nothing. But she wasn't mad nor scared. So she let the latter choices reign in. Because this felt so right, like she belonged here, in Laura's arms, and right now, she wasn't going to do anything to stop that.

Laura could feel Taylor thinking. And no matter how good this felt, she knew she had to start talking. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her heart pounding on her chest. She felt Taylor freeze but didn't say anything so she went on. "I'm sorry for breaking up with you. I'm sorry for not having been brave enough to stay and see if this was gonna work out."

This time, Taylor was now looking at her, listening to every word she was saying.

"I'm sorry for fucking up the best thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life," she continued. "I know that I've said it a lot of times but I just want you to remember that no matter what I had done in all those months afterwards, I never stopped feeling sorry for hurting you." She felt her voice crack, but gathered herself. She wasn't gonna cry if she wanted to be able to say everything she wanted to say.

They'd stopped moving but their arms stayed in place. "Two weeks ago, I had the chance to try to take it all back. I realized everything that I had done wrong and I wanted to do the right thing for the first time in a really long time. But I fucked up, _again_." Laura sighed, disappointed with herself.

She suddenly looked down as embarrassment washed through her thinking of the number of times she had screwed up. She then felt Taylor remove her other arm from around the back of her neck as she lifted her chin up to look back at her. "Go on," she said softly.

So Laura did. "You're probably tired of me going back and forth with my decisions all the time. Honestly, I'm getting really pissed at myself, too. So, I thought about it, everything that I would have to lose if I finally gave up on us and that's when I realized that if I lost you," she paused, thinking this was _it_. There was no going back. "...that if I lost you, I would lose _everything_. And that's something I would never allow to happen."

Tears were now starting to form on Taylor's eyes. When she woke up today, or yesterday, knowing that it was already almost two in the morning, she had prepared herself for a normal day. She vowed to do her work the right way and then go home and sleep everything off afterwards. Not once had what was happening right now ever crossed her mind and she didn't know how to feel. But her eyes had already betrayed her when the tears had started falling.

"Hey," Laura wiped the tears away, worried about what Taylor was feeling. "I'm sorry. Please don't cry. Do you want me to stop?" There were a lot of things going through her mind right now and they all led to her confessing to Taylor that she loved her still, that she wanted her back. But seeing Taylor this way erased all that. It was now filled with worry that she had said something wrong, that she had hurt her, _again._

But Taylor shook her head. No matter how overwhelmed she was, she didn't want Laura to stop. She wanted to hear everything she had to say. "I'm sorry," Taylor laughed softly as she harshly wiped her tears. "Don't mind me. Please continue."

Laura smiled, despite her worries. "You know I can't just not mind you when you're crying in front of me." _'I can't see you get hurt again,' _she added, but only in her mind.

Taylor nodded in agreement, her face still just a few inches away from Laura's. "Okay, I'm not crying anymore. See?" She smiled, a little too exaggeratedly, making Laura chuckle.

"I can see that." Then suddenly, realization hit her. This was supposed to be easy_. _Taylor made loving her so _easy_, why should telling her about that be any different? She then shook her head to rid of the nerves that were washing through her whole being and then slowly lifted her one arm to cup Taylor's face. She made little circles on her jaw with her thumb as she looked into her eyes. "You're beautiful," she said softly, almost in a whisper, but she knew Taylor heard her, because she was now smiling, genuinely this time. "Especially when you smile like that," she, too, was smiling.

"Yeah?" Taylor asked and Laura nodded, while rubbing her back, and she felt the hair on her nape rise. "Laura?" she could no longer wait, she needed to know now. "Why did you do all this?"

"Because I realized how much I had screwed up. And I want to stop doing all that now. I just want to do what's right. I want to do all the things I should've done a long time ago..." She paused, hoping for any signs from Taylor that she finally understood, just like how she understood that first time she tried to tell her she was in-love with her. But her face was blank, or that's how it seemed to Laura. "You know how much I care for you, Tay... how much you mean to me. And I wanna show you-" She sighed, frustrated that Taylor seemed to be not picking any of this up, still. "Do you really not see where this is going?"

Taylor chuckled and decided to finally speak. "I do." Her chuckle then turned into a soft smile, realizing that what she'd always wished to happen ever since she and Laura broke up was now happening. "I just want to hear you say it." It's been a long time, she thought. She wanted to hear those words from Laura again, those words that could make her do anything for the woman in front of her, those words that made her _hers_.

But as much as Laura wanted to do that now, she needed something else first. And she knew she had to get it from Taylor before she could say anything else. "Okay," she whispered. "But before that, I just want to know if I'm forgiven."

Taylor smiled, wanting to convey her answer through that but she knew that Laura needed something more. "Laura, I've forgiven you long, long time ago. I don't really know why you're still apologizing." She paused, seeing Laura sigh out of what seemed like relief. "At first I really didn't understand why you did it," she said as she recalled everything that had happened. "I was hurt... and at some point, I was even mad. But then, I thought of everything that had happened ever since and I don't think it still really matters now... because you're still here. I still got you... right?"

Laura nodded, not being able to stop her grin. "Yes, you do."

"Good!" Taylor didn't know if she had ever had a smile bigger than her smile at this moment. "So?" she asked, waiting for what she _needed _this time.

Feeling satisfied and contented knowing that Taylor had already forgiven her, Laura breathed deeply as happiness consumed her. And so with every bit of feeling she had for Taylor, with everything that she was ready to give her and do for her, she finally said it. "I love you, Taylor. I am so utterly and completely and deeply in love with you I know I'm gonna go insane if I let you go again." She breathed deeply, her love for Taylor oozing within her she felt like she was floating. "So I'm asking for another chance to prove that to you every day for as long as you want me to. Please?"

Taylor did not say anything for as long as she could. And she knew that every second that passed was torture to Laura because she was waiting for her to answer, to say something, _anything. _But she kept quiet not because she didn't know what to say. She did. She just wanted to take her time to take this all in, a little scared that this was all just happening in her mind. She wanted it to be true. Because she had been waiting for this moment to happen for a really long time now.

And now it was happening.

So finally, she said something, happiness filling her heart."You do know though that if we do this, I'm never letting you go again, right?" She was smiling, feeling amazing like she had never felt her entire life. "This is a one-way ticket, Prepon. When you come back now, there's no turning back. It's you and me," _Oh, how good to say that again_, "...for good." Yes, this was it. And it was sticking this time. "Do you think you'd be fine with that?"

Without batting an eyelash, Laura answered with the only logical thing to say: what she exactly felt. "Yes. I'd be more than fine with that. I'd go crazy before I let you go again, babe."

And at the same time, they crashed their lips against each other's, arms wrapping around each other, pulling their bodies closer together, and oh how it felt good to be here again, to be where they belonged... Taylor asked Laura just a while ago to bring her home. And now she was here.

And yes, it felt so _fucking _good to be back home.

-o-o-o-

**Nine months later...**

Laura woke up to the stream of sunlight from her window. She scrunched her face in annoyance as she pulled a pillow and put it over her face. Then she heard a chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" she said, not changing her position, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Nothing. I'm just crazy is all," answered Taylor, still looking at Laura, even though she couldn't really see her as she still hadn't removed the pillow from her face. She had been up for about half an hour now and she hadn't removed her stare from her girlfriend for that same amount of time. She loved watching her sleep. She loved seeing the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She loved how peaceful she looked. She loved everything about her that she could just stare at her all day.

This time, Laura threw down the pillow and looked back at Taylor. She immediately smiled at the sight in front of her. Taylor looked beautiful and if this was what she was gonna wake up to everyday, then she had no doubt life would always be good. "Hi, crazy," she said as she pressed her lips softly on Taylor's.

"Hi," answered Taylor, feeling like a teenager with the butterflies on her stomach she still felt every damn day every time Laura looked at her like she was looking at her now. "Got a good sleep?"

"The best," answered Laura, recalling the night before, and how they spent it making love. She still felt Taylor's lips all over her. "You?"

"Yeah, it was amazing," Taylor kissed Laura again, and this time it lingered a bit longer.

It had been nine months since they had gotten back together. Nine months of making up for the long time they weren't together. Nine months of showing each other how much they loved each other and how contented they were with the way things were going. Nine months of pure fucking _bliss_.

After that night, Laura brought Taylor home and they spent the rest of the night making love, reminding themselves of how each other felt, unsure of how they had managed to not be together for so long. It was the best night they've had and they both knew it was the start they needed to make this work, finally. From then on, none of them seemed to have the knack to screw this up. Everything was far from perfect but for them, it felt like it was. They were happy. They were in love. They were together. And there was nothing they needed more than that.

Months passed and everyday still felt like that first day that they got back together. Everyone around them was happy that they finally got back together, especially Natasha and their families. Laura had also finally met Taylor's parents and that went surprisingly well. She met them both at the same time making Taylor so happy that her parents were finally able to be under one roof and not rip each other's throats out.

The public, on the other hand, had the same reaction just like the first time they got together but none of it bothered them. They were thankful for the support but they ignored the hatred as they had already anticipated it. As long as they were happy, none of the negative things around them really mattered.

Their careers also kept soaring and it was more than they had ever really hoped for. Orange Is The New Black was still received very warmly and everything just felt right.

And now, here they were, and they couldn't ask for anything else. Life was good. It was more than good, actually. It was great and amazing and wonderful and every positive adjective there probably was in the dictionary.

After what felt like hours of making out, Taylor finally decided to get up. She started gathering her clothes that were shamelessly scattered all over the room as Laura looked at her questioningly.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Taylor stopped and raised her eyebrows at Laura. "Uh, gathering my clothes?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "I can fucking see that. Why?"

Taylor chuckled. "Have I told you how turned on I get whenever you swear?"

"Yeah, you fucking have," said Laura, now chuckling, too. "But seriously, why?"

"Because I need to have my clothes on when I get out of your house to go to mine. Unless you want everyone to see me in my whole nakedness?" she teased, knowing full well that Laura hated it every time anyone else could see her in the nude, even though it's for their series.

She was expecting Laura to say something at her little joke but she didn't speak. She looked at her girlfriend and she was just staring at her, a bit serious for her liking. "I was just kidding, babe," she immediately said thinking Laura got pissed at what she said. She walked over to her after putting her last piece of clothing then sat beside her. Laura still didn't say anything. "Hey, please don't be mad," she added, now worried at the silence of Laura.

Laura sighed. "I'm not mad. It's just..." she suddenly started to struggle with her words. She cupped Taylor's face and pulled her towards her before giving her a soft, gentle kiss.

Taylor smiled. "What was that for?"

"Don't go," said Laura, still holding Taylor's face, caressing it.

"I have to go get changed, baby. I've been wearing these clothes for more than 24 hours I think, it's gross." She held Laura's hand that was cupping her face and slowly rubbed circles against it with her thumb.

Laura shook her head, realizing Taylor didn't get what she really meant. "I know. It's not that. I mean..."

"What is it?" asked Taylor, sensing Laura's uneasiness. "Come on, babe, you can tell me." This time, it was her who gave Laura a kiss.

"I want you to move in with me," Laura said as fast as she could, not knowing how else to say it. She and Taylor were practically living together. They were always sleeping over, sometimes at her own place, sometimes at Taylor's. But it was never enough for her. She wanted to wake up every day like the way she had today. She wanted Taylor's face to be the first thing she'd see whenever she woke up and the last one before she closed her eyes. And she wanted that to happen every day of her life. She hated it every time she and Taylor had to part ways and she knew she might have been more clingy than she should be, but she just wanted to spend every second with her girlfriend, if that was even possible.

She had been toying with this idea for so long now but she didn't know if Taylor would want to rush into that only a few months after they had gotten back together. But right now, she hated that Taylor had to go again, even just for a few hours, and so she had to try and ask. If Taylor didn't wanna do it yet, then at least she tried. Though thinking her refuse her offer would truly break her heart.

"What?" asked Taylor, unsure if she heard Laura right.

Laura sat up and faced Taylor. She held both her hands and looked into her eyes, wanting to let her see how much she wanted this. "I know you might think it's too soon, but I just hate it every time I have to see you leave. I... I want to be with you every minute that I can, Tay. I love being with you... so much, it hurts. Do you wanna move in with me?"

"Are you serious?" Taylor asked, almost in a whisper.

Laura knew then how ridiculous this idea might have seemed to Taylor and she wanted to shrink out of embarrassment. "You know what, it's ridiculous. Just... forget I said anything," she said waving her hand as if throwing away the idea out of her mind. She felt her heart crush but chose to ignore it. The idea was ridiculous and stupid. She looked everywhere but at Taylor. She didn't want her to see the pain in her eyes.

"Yes," Taylor finally said, almost smiling at the look on Laura's face.

"What?" she couldn't help but look at Taylor now.

"I said yes. I wanna move in with you," Taylor's heart was now racing. All this time, she was contented with what she and Laura had, but having faced with this idea, she didn't know how much she had actually wanted this, too, until now. She wanted to live with Laura. She wanted to start each of her days with her. Seeing Laura whenever she woke up in the morning always gave her a sense of calm, an assurance that the day was going to be great. And she wanted, _needed_, to feel that every day from now on. And the thought of going home to Laura every day excited her in ways she never thought possible.

"Come again?" asked Laura, wanting to make sure that she was hearing her girlfriend correctly.

"I said..." she kissed Laura hard, "I want to..." kissed her again, "move in..." another kiss, "with you..." This time, the kiss was urgent. She wanted Laura to feel how happy she felt right this moment. She never thought she'd ever felt happier than she already was but she was wrong. Right now, she was on cloud nine and everything felt more perfect than it already was.

"Oh my gosh, we're really doing this?" asked Laura as she kissed Taylor back. She was again taking Taylor's clothes off of her, wanting to feel her skin against her. "We're finally moving in together?"

"Yes, baby," answered Taylor who was now straddling Laura's lap. "Yes, we are." She was leaving a trail of kisses from Laura's face down to her neck, making the raven-haired moan out of pleasure.

Laura was too happy she didn't expect to say the next thing that came out of her mouth. "Then maybe it's time to finally give you this."

This stopped what Taylor was doing then looked at Laura confused. "What do you mean?"

Laura almost carried Taylor off of her as she went to pull something out of one of her drawers. She wrapped her hand around it, trying to conceal it from Taylor before she wanted her to see it properly. She went back to bed and sat with her legs crossed under her. She could see Taylor's eyes on her hands, wanting to see what was in it.

"What is that?" Taylor asked as she made an attempt to get it from Laura's hands.

"Nope!" Laura put her hands behind her back. "Not yet!" she was smiling like an idiot now, seeing Taylor pout like a child. She knew she could never resist her whenever she would pull that gesture so she finally gave in. "Okay, okay," she said, almost chuckling, but also feeling nervous. "I wasn't planning to give this to you today, especially with how I look at the moment."

She was naked and her hair was a mess. She hadn't even brushed her teeth yet. This scenario was far from what she had planned days ago when she thought of how she would give this to Taylor. She imagined giving this to Taylor at a nice place, with beautiful music in the background, wearing something decent. But this moment just felt so right. She knew it was the right time to finally give _it _to Taylor.

Taylor, on the other hand, felt so nervous not knowing what Laura was planning to give her. She couldn't wait to finally see it but Laura was taking her time too much she wanted to snatch the _thing _out of her hand. But she waited, excruciatingly.

"But... with the sudden turn of events, I know it's the right time." She again kissed Taylor passionately before pulling away to look back at her. "I love you, Taylor. I love you with all my heart and I know this may sound cheesy, and I hate it," she chuckled. "But I do love you very much and I want you to be reminded of that every day." She then slowly lifted her hand towards Taylor, handing her a small black box wrapped in a silver ribbon.

This left Taylor's mouth hang open slightly. She looked at Laura as she took the box.

"Come on, open it," she said excitedly.

Taylor slowly pulled the ribbon out of the box. When she opened it, she felt tears sting her eyes as she saw a white gold ring with a small diamond at the top and little beads of diamonds beside the large one. Then she looked underneath the ring, and engraved on it was _'Laura and Taylor'. _She looked back up at Laura and she was smiling at her. "Laura, what is this?" she felt stupid asking it, but she was filled with too much emotion right now she couldn't think clearly.

Laura took the ring from her. "It's a promise ring." She then took Taylor's left hand as she slowly inserted the ring on her ring finger. "I know it's not much, but..." she looked at the ring now wrapped around Taylor's ring finger and she felt extremely happy at how perfect it looked on Taylor's hand. "I love you, so, so much I can never say it enough. And I want you to have this as a reminder of my promise to love you every day for the rest of my life. I know that there will be days when I'd screw up but I promise you that I won't let anything to ruin what we have. I love you, babe. And I want you to remember that every day."

This time, Taylor was already crying. She looked at her hand and the ring looked beautiful, just like the woman in front of her right now. Before she met Laura, she never thought she'd ever find someone who would make her feel this way. But now that she was with her, she was feeling things she never thought would ever be possible. She was extremely happy and she wouldn't trade this for anything else. She just loved this woman so much she couldn't stop the tears flowing from her eyes.

"Oh my god Laura, it's beautiful." She looked back at Laura and kissed her deeply. "I love you. I love you so much. Thank you," she almost rambled as she wrapped her arms around her. Laura hugged her back and it felt so wonderful being in her arms. "I love you," she once again whispered.

And with that, they put everything they were feeling into their kiss. They held on to each other as if holding on for dear life, wanting to show each other the intensity of their love. The world was far from perfect, they knew that.

But in their own little world, everything was.

And as long as they had each other, everything would be.

\- THE END -

-o-o-o-

**A/N:**

So, I was a little overwhelmed with your reaction on the last chapter. I actually expected all of you to hate me because of that chapter but so far, I think there's only one who voiced out his/her dislike of it. Lol. So, thank you! Hugs and kisses everyone!

**Shepherdinha, **I'm glad you liked the angst! I love angst, as well. More than I should, I think. Lol.

**Guest (who mentioned about the cliff hanger thingy), **Sorry it took me this long to post this chapter. Hope you're satisfied with the end. Please let me know =)

**moanzs, **Yeah dude, fuck Finn! Yeah one last chapter for this one before I put my focus on Shattered. Thank you so much!

**luuuandrade, **Lol, really? I didn't think anyone could get any worse (when it comes to drama) than Alex and Piper, but hey, to each his own, right? Haha. Sorry, though. But happy ending, yey! =)

**Guest (round and round lol), **I'm not sure what chapter you are in now but when you reach this one, thanks for the review! =)

**jo michael, **Yeah, we got a different start of school year with the rest of the world. Lol. This is actually the start of our 'summer' classes even though summer should be officially over by now. But hey, I wish I had vacations til October, too =( But this class will only last for a month so I get to have a vacation on July again. I'm from the Philippines. You? =) And fortunately, this ain't the last chapter yet (technically) haha. Lol, hope you'd learn to love Shattered as much as you love HLWILY. You're awesome, thanks dude!

**Lily, **Sorry, man! Natasha will reappear next chapter, haha. But hey, happy ending! Thanks for the review! =)

**Guest (who thought this has finally reached the point of ridiculousness(?)), **Haha. Sorry, man. I like my angst! Sorry to disappoint you =( But thanks, anyway! *wink wink*

**Ellen0000, **Awww, I'm glad you think so! That's a really nice thing to say *blushes* And have I made you wait a lot longer than 48 hours? I think so, sorry! Lol. And again, I love your vids on youtube. Idk if you've read my replies to your PM but yeah, I have replied and I told you there and I'm saying this again, that slow mo vid made me a mess! Good job!

**VauseMan Laylor, **Please don't hate Laura! Hate me instead! Hahaha. Here's your Laylor, man! Hope you like it =)

**Guest (who can't believe I let her/him hanging again), **Sorry dude! Lol. Here's Laylor's happy ending. Hope it makes up for every cliff hanger I've left you with. Haha.

**I3VauseMan, **Aww, I'm sorry for breaking your heart, girl! And hopefull this happy ever after I gave them is enough for you, lol. And omygod you made my laughed out loud at that Finn comment, haha dude you rock! And I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to the title you've given me hahaha but thank you!

**vausegasm, **Lol thanks! I like you, too! Haha. It's just that I've finished this story ages ago that's why it doesn't take me long to update. Shattered may be another story though (coz I've read your review on that one, thanks btw) And fuck finn! Laylor forever haha. Thanks again!

**sara lance, **Exactly! I was thinking of Larry the whole time I was writing him. Haha. And they're together now, yey! And omg thank you! I'm glad you love Shattered. It means a lot to me =)

**Guest (OMG), **Hope you like how I ended it =) Thank you!

**ariaskj, **Bastard indeed! Haha. I'm sorry about the cliffhanger! =( And thank you. I don't think I'm gonna be enjoying school haha. And good for you for that long vacation!

**Guest (blackmail suggestion), **Hm, not quite but near there. Haha. Thank you! I'm glad you love my story and I hope you still do after this chapter =)

**Anas, **OMG I'm really flattered *blushes* Thank you, and I'm sorry I had kept you waiting, lol. Thanks again. You're wonderful!

**FFChik, **Yeah, Finn is an asshole hahaha. Lol, you're exactly right!

**Gabi, **Awww, I'm sorry! Here's the final chapter! Hope you like it now =) Love you back, girl! Thank you =)

**Batman05, **Aww, I'm glad you love this story that you don't want this to end. And thank you for posting a review! I like meeting everyone reading this story so I can thank them personally (well, as personal as writing a reply to each of you gets haha)

**TWang86, **Lol, you and me both, man. I had given that a thought, whether they have hooked up irl or not but it seems like a really farfetched idea. I love their friendship though and I hope I get to see them together again. =) Thank you for that review and the compliment! You are so sweet =)


	37. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

Laura woke up with something heavy draped all over her. It took her a short while to realize that it was Taylor's arm wrapped around her waist and her legs tangled with hers. She smiled as she felt her girlfriend's warm breathe on her neck, her whole body almost on top of hers. She sighed contentedly as the scent of her hair hit her and it was the best smell there was. She gently kissed the top of her head, not wanting to wake her.

It was their first day on their new home and she already felt like they'd been here for a really long time. But then again, she knew that it was really not the place that made her feel at home but the beautiful blonde beside her. This thought made her wrap her arms tighter around Taylor, wanting to feel her closer even if you could barely drop a paper between them.

They actually arrived here the previous night but were both so exhausted with their last-minute shenanigans, decorating the house, fixing those things that needed to be fixed, that they have both fallen asleep without even acknowledging the fact that they were already settled on the place that they could call _home_.

She stayed still for a while, rubbing Taylor's back soothingly, enjoying the peace and comfort that this was making her feel. Few minutes later, she felt Taylor stir and mumble something muffled by her own neck. "Okay, maybe you can try that again in a normal language now, babe," she said, chuckling slightly.

Taylor slowly pried herself away from the brunette just far enough to look at her. "I said, why are you up so early?" Taylor said with her eyes still half-shut, trying to adjust to the room's brightness.

Laura wondered how, after all their months together and all those times they woke up beside each other, Taylor was still able to make her feel this way whenever she would see her the first time in the morning. The blonde's hair was disheveled and it was sticking out everywhere and her eyes were puffy and all but all she could make out from this was how gorgeous her girlfriend looked in the morning. After all this time, she could still feel her heart race a lot faster than it normally did just by looking at her. She still found Taylor the most beautiful woman to ever exist on this planet and she was sure she would rather stare at her all day than go out and see the rest of the world. This person right in front of her was her world and she'd be crazy to trade her for anything else.

"Well, how can I stay asleep when there's a monstrous creature draped all over me? I don't think I can still feel my ass. God, you're heavy," she said jokingly earning her a quite violent response.

"Hey!" Taylor smacked Laura's arm a little more harshly than she intended to and she saw her girlfriend wince in pain. "Oh my gosh babe, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hit that hard." She sat up immediately, checking where she hit Laura and she silently cursed herself as it was now burning red.

The pain immediately went away as soon as it came but seeing Taylor's reaction made Laura's heart swell so she wanted to stretch this out a little longer. "Ouch, I didn't know you could be so abusive," she faked a pained look and she could see Taylor's eyes fill with worry.

"I'm sorry. Where does it hurt?" she tried rubbing the reddish part on Laura's skin, hoping its color would go back to normal but it wouldn't. Laura's skin was so pale and a bit sensitive to everything she should've known not to hit her, albeit jokingly.

"Here," Laura pointed to where she could supposedly feel the pain and she almost grinned because Taylor still couldn't get that she was just messing with her. She found her so adorable with that slightly panicked look on her face she could kiss her right there. But no, she wasn't done playing games just yet.

"I'm sorry, baby." Taylor hunched down a little to pepper little kisses on Laura's arm, the part where she hit, all the while mumbling her apologies. "I'm sorry. Does it still hurt?" She didn't wait for Laura to respond as she kept on kissing her arm, this time making her way upwards until she'd already reached the crook of her neck.

"Hmmm, I feel so much better now," answered Laura, closing her eyes shut, enjoying the feeling of her girlfriend's lips on her neck. "I was just messing with you, by the way."

"You bitch!" Taylor said as she smacked her arm again as Laura laughed at her.

-o-o-o-

The couple went out of their room a few minutes later, finally able to take in their new place. Looking around the house finally all set, Taylor couldn't help but sigh in contentment with how the whole place turned out. It was painted with white while all the furniture inside gave out the beautiful contrast of being black. Nothing felt out of place and everything seemed perfect. After giving her new home one last look, she now looked at the beautiful brunette seated on one of the couches just nearby and her heart started racing when she was her staring at her, her face etched with a wonderful, sweet smile.

They had breakfast after a while, something Laura prepared for both of them, making Taylor as happy as a clam. They talked about everything, letting each other know about their previous day, right before they went here. They talked about their future works, everything in store for them. They went with their day just like any other day they would back when they would stay over each other's houses, except this time, with the knowledge that they didn't need to go anywhere else because they were right where they should be.

-o-o-o-

"So, what's our agenda for today?" asked Taylor, while she was sprawled on their couch, her head on Laura's lap. The brunette was on her phone, having another one of those Twitter sprees as she liked to call it, probably the reason why seconds had passed and she still hadn't answered. "Hello?"

"Hmm?" was the only response Taylor got from her girlfriend. She knew Laura had been doing this a lot these past couple of months. Whenever she had free time, she would grab her phone and just reply to fans' tweets as long as she could, saying this is one of the very few ways she could give back to them for the support they'd been giving her for the longest time now. But she had never been with Laura physically during those times and this was the first time she was seeing her do this.

"Wow, I never thought I'd ever experience the day when you would ignore me," she sat up, amused by how focused Laura was on her phone. She looked at her intently, typing furiously. Taylor hated the fact that Laura was ignoring her, for the first time in a really long time, so she grabbed the phone from her hand, successfully getting her attention, finally.

"Hey!" Laura immediately looked at Taylor, confused as to why her phone was suddenly snatched out of her hand. "I was using that."

"Yeah, didn't fail to notice," answered Taylor with her forehead creased, and her arms crossed in front of her. "You were ignoring me!" she added, and pouted like a little kid.

Laura chuckled at the silliness of her girlfriend. "Babe, I was just replying to some of the fans' tweets."

"Yeah, well maybe now, it's time to reply to _your girlfriend's_ question, yeah?"

Laura smirked and raised her eyebrows with that smug look only the person who played Alex Vause could pull. "Is _my girlfriend _getting jealous of people I probably haven't even met?"

Taylor huffed, giving Laura an 'Are-you-kidding-me' look. "Jealous? Sweetheart, have you forgotten that I don't get jealous?"

Laura bit the side of her cheek, keeping herself from laughing, "Oh, right. You never get jealous. So that time when I was talking to Chris on the phone and you slammed the door on my face, that wasn't jealousy. Or! That time when I was having an uncontrollable fit with _Natasha_ and you ignored me for almost the who—"

"Okay, you can shut up now. I got your point." Taylor cut Laura off by putting her hand over her mouth while the latter started laughing so hard, trying to pry the blonde's hand away from her mouth. Taylor had begun laughing, too, and soon enough they were already wrestling against each other on the couch, their laughter resonating inside their house.

They went on like that for a while, until someone rung their doorbell. At first they didn't notice it but the moment they did, they immediately stopped, looking at each other as if Christmas had arrived.

"Our first visitor!" they said in unison, jumping out of the couch at the same time then running towards the door together. They were grinning like idiots, knowing how much they're acting like kids. But these kinds of things, their simple joys, they're one of those things that were making their relationship work and they loved every second of it.

"Do you wanna do the honors?" asked Laura as she motioned her hands to the door handle, asking Taylor if she wanted to open the door herself.

But Taylor shook her head as she said, "No. Together."

And so they did. They opened the door and welcomed their guest with possibly the biggest and yet creepiest smiles they could muster. "Welcome to Casa Prepon-Schilling!" they again said together, laughing uncontrollably afterwards, seeing the look on their first visitor.

"Are you both high or something?" asked Natasha as she walked inside the house without waiting for her two friends to invite her in.

"Oh, please come on in. We wouldn't want you to be waiting outside for so long," said Laura as Natasha helped herself to one of their couches, Taylor laughing at her.

"Are you kidding me? You took so long to open the door. I know your house is _huge,_ but I could hear you laughing like insane people in here from outside so you shouldn't have been too far up inside this mansion."

"You want anything?" asked Taylor as she made her way towards their kitchen. But she was stopped in her tracks when Laura called out to her.

"Oh, hey babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember earlier when you asked me what our agenda for today was?"

"Yes? But I think it's too late for that answer now, don't you think?"

Laura chuckled. "Uhm, I think so, too. Because the agenda was supposed to be 'Buy groceries.'" She looked apologetically at Natasha for the lack, or a_bsence_, of food they could offer.

"Seriously? I'm starving!"

Taylor went back to the living room, shaking her head. "What, did you just come here to eat?"

"No, but I can at least eat something. Ahhh, never mind. I'm not gonna stay long anyway. I just came to see your humble abode... which is not very humble as I can clearly see." Natasha looked around, amazed by how beautiful the place had turned out. She'd only seen this place once, just right after Taylor and Laura bought it and the way it looked before couldn't even compare to how it looked now. "Are you planning to have a dozen of children? Because this place would still look huge despite that kind of number."

"Well, not a dozen... more like ten," answered Laura.

"What?!" a shocked Taylor looked at Laura with wide eyes, surprised with what came out of her girlfriend's mouth. Without any surprise though, both Laura and Natasha laughed at this. So she grabbed two pillows and chucked each of them to her girlfriend and friend. "Shut up, you two. I can barely handle you both."

"Okay fine. Just five then?" asked Laura, her face too serious, making Taylor _almost_ believe her, until she broke out into a loud laughter again. "Oh, you are so gullible sometimes."

"Yeah, you like that don't you?" said Taylor, now laughing, too.

"Oh believe me, babe, I do."

All the while, Natasha just looked at her two friends exchange words, not being able to stop laughing and hitting each other while doing so. They were now so far from those two people who had profusely and desperately tried to ignore each other more than a year ago. They weren't those people who refused to speak about their problems anymore, who let their emotions cloud their judgments.

They were now these two people who could barely stand to be away from each other for thirty minutes. They had become that couple who hated not talking about what they _really_ felt because they knew that it was the only way they couldn't screw this up again, to communicate properly. For the last 11 months that they'd been together, she had seen them grow into this more mature couple, more understanding, more _loving_ couple and she could see just how much happier they'd become.

And she couldn't help but feel grateful because she was one of those very few people who could witness this kind of love. The one where there weren't any pretenses, just pure and insurmountable kind of love you could feel the love radiate from them whenever they're around. Taylor and Laura were so far from being the perfect couple. They also had flaws but what's great about them was that they embraced those flaws and turned them into something that made them love each other more. And they loved each other so deeply that it could make anyone want to find a love like that as well.

"You two are gross," she said when Taylor and Laura started whispering on each other's ears, giggling like school girls while doing so, as if they didn't have any company. "It's one thing to listen to you banter all day but to see you make out in front of me? That's just too much, man."

"What?" said Laura, chuckling. "We're not making out."

"Not making out? You're almost tearing her ear off with your mouth!" Natasha said, shaking her head, but not without a smile on her face.

Natasha stayed for another hour, just talking and laughing with Taylor and Laura, until she stood up and announced that she had to go. "As much as I'd like to see this make out session turn into a very sophisticated and hot adult film, I gotta get going. When are you having your housewarming party?"

"This Saturday," answered Taylor, her arm wrapped on Laura's waist. "And you're not invited."

"All right, I'm gonna have a party to crash on Saturday then," Natasha said as she made her way to the door, followed by her two friends, linked to each other like some conjoined twins. "Bye not-lesbians," she said using her Orange Is The New Black's character's famous words, as Laura opened the door for her.

"Bye Tasho, glad you could come. Sorry we didn't have anything to eat," the raven-haired said.

"Oh, it's all right. I understand. You didn't have to buy anything else to eat because you already have each other for that," she said one last time before she went out of the house towards her car, listening to Taylor and Laura laugh at her words.

-o-o-o-

When they got back inside, Taylor disentangled herself from Laura and went to the bathroom. When she went back out, she stopped in her place to look at her girlfriend, who was now sitting on one of their couches, smiling at a book she was reading. Taylor couldn't help but smile at the sight, still couldn't quite believe that this beautiful person was _hers _and that she loved her the same way Taylor did_._

She slowly made her way to Laura, still unable to keep herself smiling like an idiot and sat next to her. Her girlfriend immediately wrapped her arm around her as Taylor pushed herself closer to the brunette, leaning her head on her shoulder. "Is it just me or this place looks so perfect to you, too?" she asked as Laura nuzzled her face on her hair, sighing in contentment as she took in the scent of her beautiful girlfriend.

"It is perfect, babe. Even more so because I'm sharing it with you."

This time, Taylor looked up at her and Laura brought her face closer to hers as she kissed her sweetly. Taylor smiled into the kiss feeling happier than she'd ever felt. Her mind raced back to that day, when their lives took another turn, and up until now, the memory still made her chest swell out of bliss.

_ "I know you might think it's too soon, but I just hate it every time I have to see you leave. I... I want to be with you every minute that I can, Tay. I love being with you... so much, it hurts. Do you wanna move in with me?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "What?"_

_ "I said yes. I wanna move in with you."_

She still couldn't help but smile at the thought of Laura's face when she said yes. The way her face broke out into a shock and lit up both at the same time was so adorable she couldn't help but chuckle a little recalling it. Laura looked at her, with wonder in her eyes on why she just chuckled out of nowhere but she just kissed her again.

_ "Oh my gosh, we're really doing this?"_

_ "Yes, baby. Yes, we are."_

There were a lot of times in her life when she felt so much joy, just like the first time she and her mom hugged after they've worked things out between them, or that moment she found out she was nominated for an Emmy, or that time she and Laura got back together. But at that time, it was more than just pure joy. It was all kinds of emotions, happiness, excitement, gratefulness, a little fear maybe, all wrapped together into her whole being at that time.

And then just when she thought that was it, that that was what was gonna make her day, Laura did another thing that almost made her heart stop. She looked at the ring perfectly wrapped around her finger and she knew then that this, what she had with Laura, this was something that she knew she'd never want to ever lose again.

Laura noticed how she looked at the ring and took her hand into her own then examined it, too. It had been more than a month since she gave Taylor that ring and she still couldn't believe that this woman in front of her was someone she could call _hers_. She was the most beautiful, most kind-hearted, smartest and funniest person she knew and knowing that this person felt the same thing she felt towards her was something that made her love life so much more.

After asking Taylor to move in with her, everything just fell into place so quickly. They both decided to sell their New York homes and bought one that they could both call theirs. It was amazing how fast they found a place perfect for both of them, something they both knew they'd love. They also didn't take their time renovating the place, working on it as soon as they could to make it even more perfect than it already was and even they were surprised how little time it took for the whole place to be finally called home.

And now they were both here, happy and contented, knowing so damn well that everything would just get even better from here on.

Laura then took Taylor's hand and brought it to her lips, placing a soft kiss on it. She then looked into Taylor's eyes and choked back tears as she saw so much love from those beautiful orbs. They screamed happiness and contentment, as if a reflection of what exactly she was feeling at the moment. "Are you happy?" she asked, wanting to confirm her thoughts from Taylor's own mouth.

"More than I thought was humanly possible, babe," answered Taylor, not knowing how else she could put into words how happy she was feeling at the moment.

She and Laura had been through a lot. She had already even come to the point where she knew it was over for them for good. At first, no matter how much it hurt, she still hoped that one day she and Laura were going to find a way to make it work. That somehow, through all the bullshit they had gone through, they would still end up together. And that went on for a while. Even when she tried so hard to make herself believe that she hated her. Even when she found out that Laura had started dating again. Even when they've both chosen to become friends with benefits. She still held on.

All of that only went away after they'd decided to stop being _fuck buddies_. That's when she'd accepted that it was really over for them, that there was no point in her waiting for something that would never come anyway. So she decided to date another guy and silently prayed that he was it, he was gonna be the one who would make her forget about the only woman she'd ever fallen in love with.

But she should've known better. Because not only was Laura the only woman she'd ever fallen in love with, she was also the person she had ever fallen in love with that _much_. So she broke up with him and chose to stop fooling herself that she was ever going to forget about her and prayed to a god she didn't even believed in that she could manage to live her life like this, knowing she would never get to be with Laura again.

And then when she thought that it was how her life was always going to be, pinning for the person who would never fall in love with her again, Laura did all those things and admitted to her that all those times, she had never fallen out of love with her, too. It had easily become the best day of her life, until of course she and Laura started making new memories again, making her realize that her best day was always going to be whatever day it was until the next morning comes again, taking the title from the previous day.

But that day, when she and Laura got back together, that had become the beginning of their _second chance_. So far, they had been together for almost eleven months and everything still went as smoothly as any great relationship could be. Sure, they fought here and there, as any normal couples went thru but this time around, they never let a fight go beyond a day, always making sure they'd talk about it before the day ended. There were no more secrets; all of their fears were laid on the table, all their doubts. They'd both gone through so much apart and they weren't stupid enough to let that happen once again.

They brought their lips together again, crashing them together. They were still amazed with how perfect they fit together as both their hands started wondering on each other's bodies. Their kiss, which started slow and sweet, was now becoming more urgent each of them wanting to feel so much more. Laura traced Taylor's bottom lip with her tongue, and Taylor opened her mouth, allowing her the entrance she was begging for. For a while, their tongues danced together in a perfect harmony and both moaned at the pleasure consuming their bodies.

"Time to christen the place, I believe?" Laura asked teasingly, when their lips parted for a while, both catching their breaths.

Taylor just brought their lips back together as she nodded, smiling into the kiss, as she took Laura's hand when she stood and made her way to their bedroom. Out of all the places in their home, this was, _unsurprisingly,_ Taylor's favourite. It took them the longest time to finally settle on how they wanted the place was going to be. But every fight they had over how they were going to decorate the room was worth it because now, it was astonishingly beautiful and she could live inside this room forever as long as Laura was with her.

Taylor laid down, taking Laura with her as they resumed kissing and running their hands all over each other. Her girlfriend started kissing her way to her jaw, making a trail of kisses towards her ear as she softly whispered, "I love you," sending shivers down Taylor's spine. The words were good enough to make her melt but add Laura's beautiful, raspy voice and she knew she was done for.

Laura slightly bit on Taylor's ear making her moan. It had always been one of her erogenous zones and Taylor knew that her girlfriend would use that to her advantage. She knew how much that turned her on so she kept biting slightly until she let out her tongue and skimmed at Taylor's weak spot. The brunette then kissed her all the way down to her neck, nipping and licking, and it was enough to make her moan even louder, squirming underneath her gorgeous girlfriend out of pleasure.

Laura then decided that they were wearing too much clothes so she grasped the end of Taylor's shirt as she took it over her head, doing the same thing to herself before she went back to kissing her girlfriend all over her body again. Taylor noticed how she smiled a little because she wasn't wearing a bra and she brought her hand to one of her breasts, cupping it, loving how perfectly it fit her hand. She then brought her mouth on Taylor's other breast, playing with her nipple with her tongue. Taylor arched her back as she held on Laura's hair bringing her even closer to her.

Taylor knew her underwear was now ruined and the need inside her was piling up more quickly than she thought it would. Suddenly, Laura's tongue and hands over her weren't enough anymore. She needed to feel her inside her, and she needed it _now_. But she knew that Laura wanted to take her time so she clenched her legs together, trying desperately to make this last a little bit longer.

The things Laura's tongue was doing to her nipples were driving her crazy. Her one arm was secured on Laura's head, making sure it stayed where it was while her other hand grasped tightly on the sheets as pleasure shot through her, painfully and oh so _deliciously_ both at the same time.

Laura then kissed her way from the center of Taylor's breasts down to her toned belly, her one hand never leaving Taylor's breast. She then slid Taylor's shorts down, bringing her underwear with it as she kissed her just above her center, making Taylor gasp. "Baby..." she moaned, knowing that she couldn't contain her need any longer. "Please," she begged.

Laura made her way up to kiss Taylor's lips. "Tell me what you want," her voice an octave lower and Taylor knew right then that she would do just about anything Laura would tell her to do using that voice. It was pure sex and she thought she could cum just at the sound of it.

"You. Inside me. Right fucking now." It was barely a whisper but she was glad that it was enough for Laura to go back down, leaving wet kisses on her way. When she was right where Taylor wanted her to, the brunette took one of Taylor's legs bringing it over her shoulder. She kissed and licked everywhere except where Taylor wanted her to and the blonde knew she would go crazy if Laura kept this on. "Jesus Laura, you're driving me fucking crazy. Just fuck me already. _Please, baby._"

She felt Laura chuckle as she _finally _brought her lips to her clit, and the vibrations it made drove Taylor wild, almost pulling at her girlfriends beautiful black locks. Laura's tongue swiped over her clit, up and down, and Taylor couldn't stop the moans come out of her mouth. And then without a warning, Laura plunged two fingers inside her and it was enough to bring Taylor almost to the edge. "_Fuck_, baby."

It was slow at first, the gorgeous brunette taking her time to pull her fingers in and out of her so torturously slow, while her tongue kept doing magic on her clit. Taylor shut her eyes, unsure whether she could still handle everything she was feeling at the moment.

Noticing how Taylor was almost shaking had spurred Laura on even more as she decided to finally keep her pace up, plunging in and out of Taylor faster, bringing her girlfriend even more deeper at the pleasure consuming her. She added another finger, making the beautiful blonde scream her name.

"Lauraaaaaa. _Fuck baby, don't stop._" Taylor knew she was close, and she held on to anything she could hold on to, hoping it could keep her from shattering into pieces as her climax neared. Laura was relentless, hitting her g-spot over and over again. She kept the pace of her fingers as she brought herself up to kiss Taylor on the lips, making her taste her own self. As if that wasn't enough, Laura spoke, _"Cum for me, baby."_

And it was the last thing that Taylor needed before she let herself go. She shook and writhed beneath Laura's touch, screaming and moaning, feeling herself shatter, but in a definitely _good_ way. She rode the waves of sensation shooting through her, the intensity of it enough to make her weak. She was brought into a world full of pure bliss as she rode out her orgasm, her girlfriend whispering into her ear. "I got you, babe."

Laura then slowed down her fingers, kissing Taylor as she did so, feeling her girlfriend slowly come down from her mind-blowing orgasm. When she felt her relax under her, she pulled out her fingers, licking them one by one, causing Taylor to moan yet again. They looked into each other's eyes, and smiled as they brought their lips back together.

Laura kissed Taylor with so much love, proving to Taylor once again that it wasn't exactly where they were that made this place perfect. It was Laura with her in it, and her love for her that made her heart ache in an excruciatingly beautiful way. Laura tore her lips from her and looked into her eyes once more as she spoke in the most loving voice Taylor had ever heard.

"Welcome _home_, baby."

-o-o-o-

**A/N:**

**ariaskj, **Lol really? It had never been my intention to have any of them propose to each other because I feel like they're not the types who rush into that kind of thing? I mean, not that any of what happened in this fan fiction come close to reality anyway, but I don't know, I just really didn't think a proposal would be right for this fic. Haha. And thank you! For all the kind words. I've started a new fan fiction, it's called Shattered, if you're into that kind of thing, you can check it out and decide whether you like it or not. Lol . Again, thank you. It's been wonderful talking to you.

**Guest, **I'm glad that you loved how I ended the story. And I hope you like this lil chapter, too. Yeah, she kinda had to make up for all those times she's hurt Taylor, yeah? Lol. Anyway, thank you for joining me in this journey, lol. I wish I could've found out your name but 'Guest' is enough, haha.

**xunconsciousx, **Aww, I'm glad you think so. I was a little scared that you guys would be disappointed with the way I decided to end things so your review really makes me happy. =) And I hope you like this epilogue, too. I thought I had to give at least one fluffy chapter for all the pain I've caused you. Haha. Thanks for taking the time to read my story. Hugs!

**vausegasm, **Oh my god, I honestly read your review like five times. Thanks, man! That's one of the best reviews I've received so far. Haha. I'm so sorry, though, that I made you cry. But it's a good kind of cry, right? Thank you! For being one of the wonderful readers of this fic! And I'm glad you like Shattered, too!

**jo michael, **Hi there! So, I don't wanna make this sound like a goodbye or something because I still get to talk to you through Shattered, haha. But I just want to let you know that you're one of my most favourite people in here. You've always been so nice to me and I can't thank you enough. *happy tears* Thank you, too, for the love for Shattered (which btw, won't be updated sooner I think, I'm having a hard time with chapter 4 lol) and for the kind words you've left on your review. You seriously are one of the best! Oh, Cyprus! I've never been there, but then again I've never been anywhere outside my country so there's that. Haha. Schoo starts in a week I wanna cry. But thanks! And love and hug back at you!

**Marijn, **Hi, girl! So you're one of the very first people I've become friends with here, even if it's just through this little exchange of messages and I can't thank you enough for being so wonderful to me and to my story. =) I'm glad I still get to talk to you through Shattered so yeah, friendship not yet over, yes? Haha. Thank you for that awesome review! I still feel shy whenever someone tells me this is the best Laylor fic, but thank you! I'm glad you liked the ending and of course, I'd PM you anytime. Thanks, girl! Hugs and kisses =)

**iwiteaz, **Aww, new reviewer! I'm glad you left a review and I should be the one thanking you for reading my story so thank you! And much love to you =)

**Hyper130315, **Wow, hi there! Oh don't worry dear, there are honestly so many great fan fictions around here you're gonna have the best time! I feel so special though that my story is the first one you've ever read. Coz first love never dies, right? Lol I'm weird. Anyway, thank you! You're too sweet =)

**Ellen0000, **Awww, thanks dude! But I gotta say, I had to search for the meaning for 'apotheosis' hahaha, that's such a big word, man! LMAO. And your review was just wow. Thank you, I can't even put into words how much I appreciate all those kind words you've just left. Hope to stay in touch with you, you're seriously awesome. And thank you, as well, for joining me in the 'journey'. You made the ride so much better =)

**Twang86, **Awww, thank you! I'm glad that I managed to make you feel that way through the story. Thank you, those things you said make me want to write so much more. And thank you in advance if you ever decide to read Shattered. I'm looking forward to reading your reviews again. =)

**moanzs, **Hey favourite reviewer! Lol, last time Im'a talk to you through this fan fic, so I wanna thank you for all the reviews you've left since the start or since you started reviewing. Haha. You're one of my most favourite people in here and so I wanna thank you for sticking with me until the end. I'm happy that you still leave reviews on Shattered because it's really nice reading them. So, again thank you! I hope you like this one last chapter. =)

**Guest (who can't fucking wait for the epilogue lol), **Wow, thank you so fucking much dude! I'll miss reading your reviews, too. But I wished I could've known your name as well, just like the other guests. Maybe putting in a name next time? Even just a symbol. Lol. But anyway, thank you again! You're wonderful.

**sara lance, **Yey, you loved it! =) Ooops, sorry no wedding and Laylor babies, though. Haha. But I hope you still like this anyway. You're very much welcome but I should be thanking you, too for all the reviews you left on this story and for simply reading this and appreciating it. *happy dance*

**Lily, **Thank you so much! I hope you'd like Shattered as well. You're very welcome, and thank you, too, for the support. Lol, I sound like a freaking politician. But seriously, though. Thank you! I appreciate it so much and it was nice to have talked to you and I hope I still get to hear from you through Shattered.

**FFChik, **Thank you! I was worried about your reactions, too. Haha! But whew, thankfully you guys seem to like it (as much as I did) so again, thank you! And for Shattered reviews, too. You're one of my favourite reviewers because you're really insightful and some of your reviews make me think, in a good way, of course. So hope to still hear from you! =)

**I3VauseMan, **Hi there! Thank you for that awesome review. But I'm sorry if there's no 'talk' about that marriage and family thing. Because the way I was thinking when I wrote that fear thing, it wasn't really about the whole getting married and having children that scared Laura. It was 'fear' in general of the things she had no control over that made her kind of back away from Taylor. So I hope that clear things up a bit, but I'm sorry for that little hitch. Your reviews make me blush. Lol. I hope I'd still receive reviews from you through Shattered because I'd be really sad if you don't anymore. You're too wonderful! Thanks again, sweet thing =)

**Gabi, **Aww, it really makes me so happy that you said that. Coz I was kind of worried that you guys would be disappointed with how I decided to end things and knowing that you're actually satisfied by it is just so awesome and amazing and everything. Haha. And yes, I will never stop writing. I love doing this so much. I heart you, too, bae. 3 =)

**tash, **Here's the epilogue, yey! So thank you for all the reviews you left for this story. I always get excited when you do. I don't know. I think it kind of has something to do with your name, which reminds me a lot of Natasha Lyonne. It's weird, I know. But I'm crazy over that woman lol. Thanks again and hope you like this one.

So there! We have finally reached the last chapter of this story and I seriously can't thank you enough for the love you've given me and this fic. I honestly posted this just for the sake of it not thinking that it was gonna be received this well. Thanks for all the reviews you've left, they really make my day. And also to everyone who has read but has not left a review, I also want to thank you for reading, it means so much to me =) I've met so many wonderful people through this story and that really makes me happy. Until the next ride, loves! Thank you!

JEN signing off 3


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